Krampus (Remake)
by kade32
Summary: In this version of mine, after Krampus abducts the entire Engel family, leaving Max all alone in his broken home and now-abandoned hometown, he is approached by a certain winter spirit to be taken on a long, epic journey to save his family and others who have been taken away by the Christmas demon. Requested by a friend named JWAPPEL.
1. How it All Began

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Krampus which is actually owned by Michael Dougherty. I loved that movie, but hated the beginning. Has everyone forgotten the spirit of Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ? And Max, all he wanted was a good Christmas like always. Anyway, read and** **review.**

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 **Chapter 1: How it All Began**

 _ **445 A.D.**_

The North Pole winds whistled through the vast, icy tundras and mountains as winter was upon it. The ever so luminous _aurora borealis_ had glistened in the night sky like a lantern in the dark. Yes, everyone here on the very top of the Earth, everything was so chilly and breezy since it never got an ounce of sunlight. The Sun is always set on the horizon and that was all. In the middle of the frozen landscape, a man was traveling through the snow, unfazed by the strong winds and the cold temperature. The man had a long white beard, bushy black eyebrows, wore a red coat with black fire trimming and a black ushanka. This was Nicholas St. North, also known as Santa Claus. His workshop was just a distance away as he was outside looking for someone. And as expected, he was rewarded by an unnerving sight. A humanoid creature with a goat-like body with cloven-hoofed feet, large round horns and a hideous face with horizontal, rectangular slits. He was wearing enough cloth, probably to protect him from the cold. North walked up to the mysterious being with a brave face which didn't even falter as the creature stared him directly in the eye.

"I know why you here." replied the creature with a low Austrian accent in broken English.

"I could say the same about you." returned North with a thick Russian accent. "And I know what you've done."

"I got no other decision." The creature defended. "Children be naughty and I am punish them."

"There are many naughty children out in the world. And I'm afraid punishment isn't the answer. I represent the holiday of Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ by spanning the globe and giving the girls and boys a toy. When I know a child has been naughty most of the year, I have my good friend, Père Fouettard, to send them coal." North explained.

"Then I get you are one called Santa Claus?" said the creature wryly.

"I am indeed."

"What you intend to do with me?" The creature asked.

"Because you worship the Horned God of Wicca that influenced your misdeeds, God is planning to banish you and your soul to the pits of Hell for eternal punishment." answered North with a hard tone. "But they are willing to give you amnesty. The Holy Ghost has assigned me to come to you regarding this matter. I'll be willing to let you off the hook. On one condition."

"What?"

"You must assist me on my deliveries every Christmas Eve night." North replied. "You will discipline the naughty children, but will do it the proper way."

"How?" The creature raised an eyebrow.

"Anything that doesn't pertain to torture. Give them a good fright or at least a good flogging." North answered.

"Frighten children I can..."

"Then I see we have an agreement?" asked North.

"I suppose we do." The creature nodded.

"Christmas Eve is tomorrow. So I will need you're help in preparing for the delivery." North said.

"Preparing?"

"Yes. I have a sleigh with reindeer ready to pull it into the air and a plethora of presents for the children of the world." North elaborated.

"Will ever I have sleigh one day?"

"Maybe." North shrugged. "But that's likely impossible."

The creature nodded, but mentally grinned at the thought of having a sleigh of his one day with his own set of reindeer.

"What is your name?" North asked.

"I not remember name." The creature answered, looking down.

"What was your life like?" asked North.

"I forgotten." The creature shook his head.

North stroked his beard in thought, before coming up with a name for him.

"I believe we will call you...Krampus." said the Russian gift-giver.

"Krampus. I like."

"Good. I look forward to working with you." North presented his hand to him.

"I as well." The creature, Krampus, said and grasped his hand with his delicate claw-like fingers in a tight handshake.

The two had come into an interesting alliance. Krampus had become known as one of the companions to Saint Nicholas, along with others such as; Belsnickel, Knecht Ruprecht, Zwarte Piet, etc. Krampus had become a famous legend in the Austro-Bavarian regions of Germany. He assisted North on each delivery across the world on Christmastime, giving the naughty children the punishment they deserve, but doing it North's way. Overtime, Krampus used chains and increased the discipline by frightening them too much and torturing their families as well. But he was forced to keep the discipline to a minimum, which started to vex the Christmas demon. One Christmas, Krampus used black magic to creature demonic toys and gingerbread men to add to his antics. This causes a rift between his relationship with North. They argued over his ways to which Krampus was booted from the workshop and forced to live on his own. But Krampus build his own lair in cavernous location in the Underworld. He formed his own army of elves, composed of Dökkálfar (or dark elves) and built his own sleigh, which he had desired for his whole life, complete with a group of monstrous reindeer. Each year on Christmas, when someone is naughty or have lost Christmas spirit, he arrives and leaves a dangerous snowstorm in his wave before dragging them away with him into the Underworld. North and the Guardians of Childhood took notice of this and fought Krampus before imprisoning him. But this was ineffective as he was released when the people of a German town during the World War II lost their Christmas spirit. One of the villagers, a little girl named Omi, had lost her love for the cheerful holiday as well. Krampus arrived taking torturing everyone before taking them and Omi's family away. He left the child a bauble with the words " _Grüss from Krampus_ " embroidered on it. From then on, Krampus will always come whenever someone would act out-of-character on Christmas. He would come not to reward, but to punish. Not to give, but to take.

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 **How do you guys like it so far. If you guys don't know, this is a remake idea of the original movie. Please review, PM me or whatever.**


	2. A Not So Merry Christmas

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Krampus. So now you all know who Krampus came to be the legend he is today and how he partnered up with St. Nicholas/North. Yes, things between them got pretty intense when Krampus started going rogue and obtained everything that North owned in his own design, as if mocking him. Well, on with the story. Read and review!**

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 **Chapter 2: A Not-So Merry Christmas**

 **Many Years Later**

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 _It was three days before Christmas Day and all of the people of an American town were rushing through the entrance to a large supermarket like an angry mob, stampeding through the employees and not caring if any of them were injured trying to calm the aggressive, anxious crowd of customers down. That's right. Christmas was, in fact, the busiest time of year. But these people take it way too seriously. All that was on their minds right now was getting toys and other items for their friends and family for Christmas. It was literally a massacre in the entire store. Shoppers were in every_ _aisle, greedily grabbing plush toys, kitchen tools, sweaters, etc. Many of them were even fighting over the gifts they were grabbing, causing some to get wrecked in the process. It worried the employees and cashiers. Yes, they wanted a lot of customers during the holidays, but this just far too much. In fact, it was crossing the line. The massive crowd of crazed Christmas shoppers was getting out of control. Fights ensued between customers while the security had to arrive to subdue them. Arresting them for property damage and destructive behavior. Items were bought and purchased, even those that were destroyed amongst the madness. There were even long lines of impatient folks to see the mall Santa and most of the kids were either crying at the sight of him and begging their parents not to take them to him or were getting very anxious to sit in his lap. It seems that these good people had forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. To them, it was all about work, buying expensive gifts and the commercialism was another thing. During a Nativity play at the mall, a young boy named Max Engel, who was dressed as a reindeer, was brutally fighting with another boy on stage for speaking ill about Santa Claus. This was not an uncommon thing for children to be fighting over the belief of Santa Claus. His parents, Tom and Sarah, shot up from their seats in the audience and rushed to the scene to break them up. Max's older sister, Beth, however, was standing where she was, filming everything on her phone, chuckling as she did._

 _This was apparently not the Christmas it used to be. Back then, everyone was calm and easygoing and joyous when it came to the yuletide season. Shopping sales weren't a problem. But now, the commercialism had gotten to people's head and began to view Christmas as a time of hard work. As if the birthday of Jesus Christ wasn't everything to them. It was like this every year, every week before Christmas Day._

 _Until he arrived._

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 **December 25, 2015**

The cold, frigid breeze blew in through the gaping hole in the wall of the house in the middle of the deserted suburban town. Covered in deep snow and frozen with icicles everywhere. The clear evidence of this was the hoof prints in the snow found in each of the now-derelict homes along with a bust in hole above fireplaces. Now devoid of humanity, there was not a soul to be found in this place. Expect for one. Max Engel sat on the couch in his broken home, bundled in his winter clothes to get him from freezing and huddled in front of the burning firewood in the fireplace as his only source of warmth. Breathing a sigh, he observed the nearly-burnt Christmas tree along with the presents. It was Christmas morning. The time that he and his family were supposed to be gathered in front of the tree and opening presents, but now that's never going to happen. For the ancient yuletide demon known as Krampus had come, due to the lack of festive spirit and naughtiness going around. His entire family had been taken. His parents, Beth, Uncle Howard, his cousins, Omi, everyone. He wondered if this is what Omi felt like after her family was taken.

Max held a few gifts in his lap that were meant for him with no apparent emotion whatsoever. He was supposed to feel excited, but such emotions could not be felt after everything that had occurred. Picking up on round-shaped present and reading the sticker that read "To Max, From Dad", he undid the wrapping paper to reveal a basketball. He had been asking for one all year and had the motivation to play basketball. He didn't have the strength to feel happy. It felt pointless to leave these presents unwrapped, since there was no one else around to unwrap them. The memories of the days prior to the Krampus encounter struck his mind.

 _"After what you did, you're gonna do it alone."_

 _"His sleigh crashed in the Rockies. He shattered both his legs. Frostbite took care of his pain, but not his hunger. So, to survive, he had to slaughter and eat his reindeer. Including Rudolph. Ate tiny reindeer."_

 _"I just wanted Christmas to be like it used to be, but just forget it. I hate Christmas! I hate all of you!"_

 _"He left me as a reminder of what happens when hope is lost, when belief is forgotten and the Christmas spirit dies."_

Half of his brain told him to be glad that his family is gone. So he wouldn't have to put up with their antics anymore. But part of him argued against the opposite side. They were his family and a family was a family, no matter how annoying or how difficult. His parents, Tom and Sarah, barely took his side whenever he was bullied or has trouble. Beth always had the chance to make rub-ins and it annoyed him. She even got him in trouble time to time. Aunt Linda remained positive, but he couldn't say that she had any time for him. Uncle Howard is always boasting about his collection of guns and his hunting experiences. He influences his children to be tough, aggressive kick boxers. He wanted his daughters, Stevie and Jordan, to be boys and perhaps that's why they were given masculine names. As for those two, they never gave any respect. They bullied Max. Made fun of him, made a mockery of his belief in St. Nicholas and even stole his letter and read it out loud to everyone. That was the final straw. He had had it with Christmas since then. And Howie Jr., he had never wronged Max or given him insult. He barely says anything at all. He was always the quiet one. Aunt Dorothy was never good with children and Max never got any suavity from her. All Max wanted this year was a better Christmas like it used to be. But no, nobody even cared. He celebrated it like it was holiday, they celebrate it like it's a joke.

Deciding to get some exercise, he placed the gifts down and left the house into the frozen wilderness. Despite the sub-zero temperature, he bundled up tight as he carefully walked through the empty, snow-covered street. Looking to his left and right, he could see the houses covered with snow and icicles and leafless trees and the less-then-pleasent-looking snowmen. Not a single human in sight. He thought about what he was going to do now as he walked through the snow. He could almost feel the screams of his family as they suffered. The giant jack-in-a-box monster that swallowed Jordan whole, the gingerbread men that attack Howard and dragged Howie Jr. away up the chimney with a chain and the possessed toys; the teddy bear, the Christmas angel. So much terror. So much pain. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched as he wandered aimlessly through the neighborhood with nothing left to do, but wallow in self-pity. Instantly, Max felt a presence nearby. Thinking that Krampus and his minions had returned to get him too, he grabbed a nearby object to use as a weapon; a long tree branch that was heavy, but usable. He waited for whatever it was to show itself and then he'd strike.

"Young man." A masculine voice broke through the winds.

Max yelped and turned all the way around, pointing his "weapon" at a young boy, probably much older than him, with spiked white hair, pale skin, wearing a blue-hooded sweater with pockets and brown pants. He was barefoot and carrying a sort of stick-like staff with a curved "G" at the tip. This made Max think to himself. What was he doing out in the middle of the cold wearing no winter clothes. He would get a deadly frostbite or freeze to death or catch hypothermia. Judging by his pasty white skin with visible veins here and there, it appears that had already froze to death and yet, there he was.

"Are you one of them?" Max stuttered while keeping his guard up.

"Who?" Asked the mysterious boy.

"Those creepy, hellish toys that serve Krampus." Max answered.

The mention of the name brought shock and terror to the boy's face. "Krampus? He was here?" The boy asked.

"Yes." Max nodded. "He took my family away and everyone in this town."

"Oh, no." The boy muttered gravely. "It's just as I feared."

"Who are you?" Max asked. "And what are you doing here?"

"I'm Jack Frost." The boy, Jack, replied. "And I'm here to investigate the huge snowstorm that appeared unexpectedly."

"You mean you're the mythical winter spirit that makes the frost?" asked Max, lowering his "weapon".

"That's me. So you can see me."

"Of course, I can see you. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, for spirits like me, I can only be seen unless someone believes in me." Jack elaborated. "Do you believe in me?"

"Yes, but my sister and cousins would always mock me for it." Max sighed.

"Well, you really shouldn't let them get to you."

"I know." exhaled Max.

"What are you doing way out here in the snow by yourself?" asked Jack. "You'd catch your death a cold. No pun intended."

Max looked down in sorrow. "I'm the only one around here."

"How come Krampus didn't take you? Haven't you done anything wrong?"

No words exited Max's mouth and he struggled to talk. What could he possibly say?

"Do you live anywhere around here?" asked Jack.

"My house is down the street." Max said and walked down the icy road and Jack curiously followed him. Once back at his house as they stepped inside, Jack observed the damage. There was the hole in the wall in the front of the house where the dark elves had smashed through and abducted Dorothy, Howard and baby Chrissy. The crevice within the wall above the fireplace where the Christmas demon entered through, even the hole on the ceiling where the jack-in-the-box fell through. Max sat back in front of the fireplace to keep warm. Jack gave himself a tour of the house. He entered the dining room where Max had a fight with his two cousins over his letter. He walked back over to where Max was and took a look at one of the picture frames of Max, dressed as a reindeer, standing with his parents and Beth with a mall Santa. Unfortunately, the portrayal of Santa was more focused on the big sister's rear. Jack only grunted at the awkwardness of the photo. It made him think of North being a pervert.

"So what did happen?" asked Jack.

Max sniffled. "My family always had difficulty getting along like a normal family should. Every year on Christmas, things get crazy and tensions are hard to control. I was playing a part in a Nativity play at the mall, but this one kid in my class, who was playing Jesus, was saying bad things about Santa Claus. I couldn't let that go without a fight, so I gave him a beating. I couldn't watch Christmas specials with them afterwards. Omi, my grandmother, was the only one who cared. During a family dinner, my cousin, Stevie, was telling another dumb story about how Santa crashed his sleigh and that he had to eat his reindeer to avoid starvation."

"That never happened!" Jack exclaimed. "Santa's always alert. If he ate his reindeer, who would pull his sleigh?"

"Yeah, I know." agreed Max. "And then she read my letter to Santa out loud to everyone. I didn't ask for anything. I just wanted my family to get over their issues with each other. I fought with her and gave up on the Christmas joy. It meant nothing to them. And that's what send Krampus here. We were tortured by scary-looking toys and cookies before being taken one by one. He left me a bauble with his name on it. The same thing happened to Omi when she was a child."

"Omi?" Jack asked with realization.

"Yeah?"

"I remember a young girl alone in a German village during the World War II after Krampus took her family from her and everyone in her village. I comforted her and stayed with her until she was about 30 years old and fell in love with a man from college." Jack explained.

"You knew my grandma?" asked Max.

"Yes. How is she doing now?"

"She got taken by Krampus as well." Max murmured.

"Oh." Jack expressed. "I wish I could've seen her."

"You know, she never mentioned you." Max said.

"Then I guess she forgot about me. Stopped believing in me." said Jack and sat down with him. "There's something you need to know."

"What?"

"Santa Claus is real."

"Really?!" exclaimed Max surprised.

"Yes." Jack nodded. "And his real name is Nicholas St. North."

"Are you serious?" asked Max baffled.

"That's right. And some of your family members are on the naughty list."

"If Stevie and Jordon are on the naughty list, then I'm not surprised." Max shrugged.

"Listen." Jack said, cutting to the chase. "I know that you're family is still alive."

"They are?" Max looked at him hopefully.

The winter spirit nodded. "They are kept inside snow globes inside of his lair in the Underworld."

"The Underworld?"

"And it's a very dastardly place indeed."

"If you know for sure that they are alive and still out there, I need your help." Max said.

"What?"

"You have to help me get them back." Max repeated.

"But aren't you happy to be without your dysfunctional family?" asked Jack.

"Yes, they can be annoying and rude sometimes, but they are my family. And that's what a family is. I know that now." Max said determined.

Jack sighed and responded, "That's not gonna be easy as it would seem, Max. Krampus's lair is very complicated to find. It takes a lot of strength and the human spirit to find it."

"We have to try." Max said.

"You don't want to stick with me, kid." Jack said. "I'll just make you colder."

"It doesn't matter. If they are my family and if they are still alive, I have to find them. I just have to. It's Christmas. The time of family gatherings and hope."

Jack was giving this some thought. He knew this boy was hellbent on getting his family back from the lair of the yuletide demon if it killed him. But Jack, himself, had never been to the Underworld or seen it. Anyone who dared to enter Krampus's lair would be either killed or imprisoned in his collection of snow globes. But Max was very desperate.

"You sure you want to do this, kid?" Jack asked.

"I'm sure." Max nodded.

"Alright." said Jack. "I will help you, Max. But it's going to be a tough journey. There are some obstacles that you need to overcome. But if we're going to Krampus's lair, we're gonna need some help."

"What kind of help?" Max asked.

"We'll have to ask the big man himself. Santa Claus."

"Are you sure?"

"Krampus is the shadow of St. Nicholas. No one knows him better than him." Jack assured.

He lead the boy out the front door and Max closed it shut. Jack grabbed Max's hand and Max could feel his cold fingers press against his skin.

"You'll need to hold tight." Jack said.

Before Max could get a word in, Jack rose into the air carrying Max with him. Max yelped in surprise and held on tightly so he wouldn't fall.

"Don't worry! I got you!" shouted Jack as they both flew.

Jack grabbed hold of Max's torso, in case if he slipped from his grasp and fell down to the earth below. Jack let the wind carry them both into the air and Max could feel the cold breeze against his face, but above all, he felt his fears fade away and he started to enjoy the experience. Letting out a loud whoop, he let Jack guide him. The two flew north towards the North Pole to visit Father Christmas who was also known as North by his fellow guardians. If they were going to get Max's family back from Krampus in his lair, they were gonna need North's help.

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 **A/N: There's the first chapter** **which takes place after Max's family was taken and left all alone. Then he met Jack Frost and is now gonna get his family back.**

 **To Mr crazy movies: Uh, no. That's not really how it goes. Besides, why would I have her as the titular demon?**

 **Please review.**


	3. The North Pole

**DISCLAIMER: Michael** **Dougherty owns the characters of Krampus and William Joyce owns the Guardians.**

 **To Ken: Keep pressuring me like that and I won't update anything. Understand?**

 **Anyway, enjoy this next chapter. Read and review!**

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The snow-haired winter spirit arrived just in time in a snowy area. Jack had landed Max on a snowy hill just outside of North's fortress as Max got a good view of the structure and it's architecture and decor. It was amazing to say the most. According to the aurora borealis in the sky, it clicked in his mind that they were in the North Pole.

"What is that place?" asked Max.

"That's where Santa lives."

"That's his workshop?"

"That's right. Why? What were you expecting?" Jack asked the boy.

Max shrugged and answered, "I don't know. Maybe a large hut and a barn for the reindeer. This looks more like a...a castle."

"You'll know more about the place when you actually meet St. Nick himself." responded Jack before holding his hand out to him. "Come on."

Needing no further instructions, Max grabbed his hand and let the Guardian of Fun lift him into the air as the wind carried Jack off with him clutching Max's hand. He commanded the wind to guide them inside the fortress through a window where they landed safely on the floors inside. Jack releases Max's hand. The curly-haired boy was glad he was finally met with warmer air.

"Well, we're here. Santa's workshop." Jack said playfully.

Judging by the look on Max's face, it was apparent that he was more than just impressed. The interior of the foundation itself gave Max the impression of some designs from Middle East or the Arabian Nights story. But it wasn't just the design of the fortress that caught him by surprise. It was the inhabitants and from what he could tell, it looked like giant humanoid apes that seemed to large and hairy for Santa's elves. However, when Max looked at his feet, he saw an actual elf smiling up at him. Max was confused by it's appearance. It wasn't expecting much, but this didn't seem like much at all. They were very small in size unsurprisingly and wore funny outfits with bells on the tips of their pointy hats. Curious, bless his heart, Max wanted a closer look so he grabbed the elf by it's hat and picked up until it was level with his face. The elf struggled a bit before it gazed back at him.

"Hi?" Max greeted unsurely.

"They won't respond. They don't speak English." said Jack. "In fact, none of them are very high in intellect. They're like little mice."

Max placed the tiny person back down on the floor and looked at Jack.

"What do you mean? How do you make the toys then?" Max asked confused.

"Actually, they don't."

"What?" Max cried.

"Yeah, we just let the children believe that. They make the toys." Jack gestured to the ape-like creatures.

"What are they?" asked Max.

"Yetis." answered Jack.

"Yetis?" Max repeated, unfamiliar of the term.

"You've heard of the Abominable Snowman right?" Jack began, receiving a nod from Max. "Well, that's what a yeti is and that's what these guys are."

"So you're telling me that Santa Claus has yetis make toys, instead of elves?" Max clarified.

"I know it's hard to take it, but it's the truth." Jack shrugged. "Come on."

Brushing past the crowd of yetis and elves through the bowels of the entire workshop, Jack lead Max over to the door leading to North's main office. Jack tells Max to wait outside, despite Max's pleas to actually see Santa Claus in person. From inside, Jack could hear the big man himself laughing heartily after another long night of delivery. Upon entering the room, Jack saw North celebrating a successful Christmas by chugging down some egg nog and eating some gingerbread cookies.

"North." Jack cried, getting the Russian's attention.

"Jack! So good to see you!" North hopped out of his chair within seconds and embraced the young winter spirit in a tight bear-hug.

"Yeah, you too. Listen-"

"You would not believe the delivery last night." interrupted North before Jack could finish his sentence. "The folks in China are rather picky, this family in Greece had loud burglar alarm and don't even get me started on Mexico. Did you know they have guard dogs? But other than that, we had good luck."

"That's great, North. Really. But there's something you need to know." Jack replied, trying to get a word in.

"All I know is that last night was successful as every year." North responded and gave him a cookie.

"Krampus has struck again!" shouted Jack, impatiently.

His words rang loudly and reverberated off the walls of the whole fortress, making everyone freeze and develop looks of fear and speechless shock. North stopped in his tracks when he heard the news and looked at Jack with disbelief.

"What?"

"Yeah. Krampus arrived at a town called West River, Vermont. The whole was deserted when I arrived today and there was only one child there all alone." Jack explained.

"But that's impossible." North remarked. "Krampus has been imprisoned for years. How could he have returned?"

"I don't know." Jack said and pointed at Max who was peeking inside. "That's why I brought him."

"Max Engel?" asked North, eyeing the boy with curiosity.

"Wow. Santa Claus. You are real." Max marveled as he stepped in, seeing St. Nick for the very first time in his life. If only his family were here to see this.

"I am. And why are you here at my workshop, young man?" asked North.

"Krampus attacked my town. He took my whole family away. I feel like I'm responsible for it." Max confessed, feeling down about his family's disappearance.

"Don't blame yourself, Max. Krampus doesn't come just because you wished for Christmas to go away. He comes whenever someone is naughty." North told him.

"If only my family were here right now to see you. My cousins used to tease me for believing in you. They told me mean stories about how you crashed your sleigh and ate all your reindeer to avoid starvation." Max said to the spirit of Christmas himself.

"They said that?" asked North, almost offended and Max nodded. "Well, they aren't on the naughty list for nothing."

"I'm not surprised." Max shrugged. "Also, my grandmother encountered Krampus when she was a child in Germany. She was the last one left."

"I see. The spreading anger and fuss over Christmas in a single town must've freed Krampus from his prison." North wondered, scratching his beard.

"How long have you known Krampus?" asked Max.

"Long time. When I first met Krampus, he was a person. Just like you." North explained as he sat down. "But he wasn't just any person. He was an Antichrist. It was back during the Viking age in Germany. He was originally named Meinrad, a lonely farmer who murdered his family on Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. He never had any Christmas spirit. The poor idiot was always fussy about yuletide customs. Regretful of his devilish actions, he isolated himself in his little hut away from society. Each year on Christmas, he would trick disrespectful and naughty children into his hut in exchange for candy. But the poor children never knew what they were in for. He tortured them before killing them on cold blood. I soon approached him one Christmas night as an old beggar man, scolding him for his crimes and giving the season of joy a bad name. As punishment, I transformed him with the help of the Horned God of Wicca into the goat-like demon he is now and brought him to the North Pole to come assist me on my Christmas deliveries to discipline the naughty children. As the years went by, Krampus took his punishments to an extreme level. We grew apart and I eventually had no choice, but to send him away where he'll never harm anyone again."

"How did you turn him into a demon?" asked Max with surprise.

"That is conversation for another time." said North.

"I just want to step in and say that Max here wants to find a way to free his family from Krampus's lair." Jack said to North.

"You want to find Krampus's lair in the Underworld?" North asked with wide eyes.

"I have to. They're my family." Max nodded.

North sat up from his chair and paced around the room.

"I don't know about that. It's too risky. It involves a lot of travel and reckless hope. And if what you say is true that Krampus is free and wrecking havoc, I can't help you find his lair. But there might be a few people who can."

"Who?" asked Max desperately.

"You'll find out along the way. I'll go summon the other Guardians." North said as he exited the room to the big globe.

"Guardians?" Max asked Jack.

"We're called the Guardians of Childhood." He said.

Once North pulled the switch, the aurora borealis were launched to summon forth the rest of the Guardians. If this was Krampus, then the situation was dire. The Tooth Fairy, also known as Toothiana, was interrupted in her tooth collecting quota by the aurora. With that, she flew with lightning speed over to the North Pole. E. Aster Bunnymund galloped through one of his tunnels to the Pole and the Sandman, or Sandy, flew to the pole in his sand-plane. When they arrived, Max surprised to see all of the childhood figures in person. And they were real.

"You're the Tooth Fairy!" Max exclaimed, pointing at Tooth.

"I sure am!" Tooth chirped with a smile before she began to check his teeth. "Let me see. Have you been brushing your teeth lately? How often do you floss?"

"Tooth! That's enough!" North ordered firmly.

"Sorry." She blushed and flew off while her mini fairies flew around Max. He even petted one of them.

"Why are you here, little ankle-biter?" Bunny demanded, holding one of his boomerangs.

"The Easter Bunny! You're a lot bigger than I imagined, but still cool. And why do you sound Australian?" asked Max.

"I'm from Australia, mate." Bunny answered stubbornly.

Max looked downward at the tiny golden man who was conjuring sand signals above his head.

"And you're the Sandman, right?" asked Max.

Sandy gave him an approved nod and created a sand hand giving a thumbs up.

"So care to explain why you called us all here, North?" asked Bunny, crossing his arms.

"Yeah. Is it Pitch again?" Tooth asked worriedly while her fairies gasped.

"No, no, no." North shook his head. "I'm afraid it's much worse than that. You see, Krampus is free from his imprisonment and he's struck again this Christmas."

"Krampus?" gasped Tooth.

"Your evil demon buddy?" Bunny asked, raising an eyebrow. "That can't be right. You sent him away long time ago."

"Yes, but the rising tension from World War I during Christmas released him." North explained. "He's whisked away an entire town. The town Max lives in."

"Oh my goodness, you poor boy!" Tooth rushed to console Max. "Did he hurt you?"

"No. He took my family away." He said.

"That bastard." Bunny hissed, gripping his boomerang tightly in his paw.

"Max wants help entering his Underworld lair so he can free his family." Jack explained, making most of the Guardians' eyes widen with shock.

"But that can't be done!" Tooth shrilled. "It's too dangerous for a boy his age! We don't even know where his lair is or how to get there!"

"But there are others who might help him find it." explained North.

"Like who?" asked Bunny.

"Father Time." The Russian-accented toymaker responded.

"Father Time?" related Max, poking an eyebrow up in confusion, not familiar with the name. "Who's that?"

"He is the embodiment of time itself." North explained. "Even as old as time. He lives in an endless dimension in between space and time in a fortress made of crystals in the middle of the Sands of Age. He even rules an archipelago that houses the past years that come to retire on each island. None of us have ever been there, so we don't know what it's like there."

"But how does this help me?" asked Max, growing desperately.

"Father Time is a knowledgable and wise being of great omniscience. He can appear anywhere he wanted, including the Underworld. Only he knows a way there. If you want to find Krampus's lair, you have to talk to him first. But it's a long journey to find the way into Father Time's realm. It won't be easy. You'll have to pick up a few spirits among the spirit world."

"You have your snow globes, don't you?" Jack asked him.

"Yes, but Father Time's dimension is out their magical range. But they can help transport your way around the globe." North said as he handed him a large bag of teleportation snow globes.

"I'll go with him." Jack said. "He needs someone to look after him. This is all very new to him."

"Um, thanks, Jack." Max smiled with gratitude.

"I'll go, too, mate." said Bunny, stepping forward with courage. "It's gonna take an experienced fighter to get you around safely. You never knew what horrible forces could be lurking out there ready to strike at any time."

"Are you sure about this?" squeaked Tooth, sounding worried about the boy's safety. "What if he gets hurt or worse dragged away by Pitch?"

"Who's Pitch?" asked Max.

"The boogeyman, kid. He's every child's worst nightmare. We defeated him a few years back. I highly doubt he won't find his way out a third time."

"Third time?"

"First time he emerged, it was during the Dark Ages. He haunted every child's dreams, striking fear in their hearts and even turning Sandy's dreamsand into black sand and using it make an army of horse-like Nightmares who smell fear. We put him away that time. We never expected him to return in 2012." Bunny explained.

"What was the Dark Ages like?" Max asked Jack.

"I wasn't a Guardian yet back then. I wasn't even Jack Frost yet either at the time." Jack replied.

"How did you become Jack Frost?"

"I'll tell you later. You want to find your family?" asked Jack.

"Yeah." Max nodded.

"What are we gonna do?" Tooth asked North, turning her lilac eyes toward him as her feathers ruffled.

"I have stuff to do here at workshop and you have some teeth to be collecting." North reminded her.

"Oh, right! That reminds me!" Tooth chirped suddenly and zipped out of the fortress within seconds with her fairies tagging along.

"She really loves teeth." Jack shrugged.

"I'm not surprised. So where should we start?" Max asked pulling a snow globe out.

"Well, wherever there is a spirit who can help us." Bunny responded.

"So how does this work?" Max held the snow globe up to his face and checked to see if there was a button somewhere.

"Just tell it the place you want to go then throw it on the floor in front of you." Jack instructed him.

"Okay. Well, I've always wondered what Hawaii was like." Max said when suddenly, the magic snow inside the snow globe took the form of the Hawaiian Islands in response to "Hawaii". Max almost jumped when he took notice. Remembering the instructions, he tossed the globe on the floor, allowing it to transform into a large portal in front of them.

"That's pretty cool." Max's eyes widened brightly.

"Step through." Bunny said.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Max asked nervously.

"Of course it is." Jack said as he gave the boy a slight push.

Max was hesitant as he hoped that he would land safely on the other side and now fall a few stories in mid-air. But he thought about his family and knew he had to be brave for them. Taking a deep breath in, he jumped through the portal and disappeared. Jack and Bunny soon followed into the portal before it closed up. On their journey to Father Time's realm began and there was nothing stopping them now.

* * *

 **So there's the next chapter there. Sorry, it took me so long you guys. I had some serious writer's block on this one. Thank you for your patience. See you in the next chapter.**


	4. Pitch's Proposition

Within meters below the Earth's surface lay the hellish lair of the evil Christmas demon, Krampus. Anyone who gets captured by the haunting figure himself and dragged away into that unforgiving place would never be seen again. Each of Krampus's victims were incased in snow globes and kept on a shelf. Globes that don't allow the user to travel between location to location in the blink of an eye like his maker/ex-partner. No, they trap his victims in a setting of their old hometown untouched by time itself. The echoes of solid, thumping footsteps accompanied by the rattle of chains could be heard everywhere inside of the lair. Living with him were the evil demonic toys and dark elves; all of them as equally devious and cunning as their master.

The towering demon himself was looking over his naughty list while listening to _Silent Night_ on an ancient gramophone, listening to it's gentle, soothing chorus whizzing throughout the area. Behind that screaming old man face of a mask, Krampus narrowed his rectangular eye pupils on the list grasped in his claw-like fingers. He crossed out the various people he found naughty that he had captured in West River on Christmas previously. He crossed out the names of the West Rivers civilians with a feather pen and blood red ink, including those of the Engel family. Suddenly, he stopped at one particular name on the list.

Max Engel.

Krampus froze when he happened upon this name written in cursive. The one child he spared on that Christmas night. The boy who decided that he had enough of Christmas and wished it gone. The yuletide demon emitted confused growling sounds as he tapped his finger in thought, pondering if he should cross this name out or not.

All of the sudden, there came a flash of black that zipped across the air in a matter of seconds, disrupting Krampus from his thinking. He looked up from his list and sensed something in his lair. Something he was unfamiliar with. Gracing his talons over the gramophone to shut it off in order to listen to whatever made that distracting sound and find out who was infiltrated his lair under his nose.

"Hello, my friend." said a chilling voice in the darkness. Krampus turned to face a slender, pale man in a black robe and sleek black hair. It was none other than Pitch Black, the Boogeyman.

"Pitch." greeted Krampus in his Austrian accent.

"Pardon my intrusion. I was just happily going my merry way and I couldn't help, but overhear you going over your own naughty list." Pitch explained in his cunningly smooth tone. "North would look over his the same way you would. Sitting here in your chair, listening to Christmas tunes on outdated music devices."

"Why are you here, Boogeyman? In my personal domain uninvited?" demanded the German-associated demon firmly.

"I come here because I hear through the grapevine - a.k.a. my Nightmares - that you've missed a child on your list." responded the Nightmare King.

"Max Engel?"

"That's the one, yes." nodded Pitch.

"He is not naughty. He wanted everything Christmas to go away. So I did just that. Not only that, but everyone in his town, not just his family, have clearly forgotten the true spirit of Christmas. And that sort of discouraged negligence comes with a consequence." explained Krampus.

"I hear you loud and clear, Christmas demon. But that's not all why I'm here." Pitch began, holding his hands behind his back. "My Nightmares inform me that this Max child has been taken to the North Pole by Jack Frost."

"The winter spirit?" Krampus asked.

"And Guardian of Fun. The one you helped the Guardians trap me deep in the depth of my own domain by turning my Nightmares against me. They smelled my own fear, I'm sad to admit, and dragged me away." explained Pitch, who felt almost crushed, having to confess expressing fear.

"The Boogeyman afraid? Of his own minions?" Krampus exclaimed with confusion.

"Don't ask. Anyway, I hear Max is planning to find you and free his family from your captivity."

Krampus bellowed his deep, unsettling chuckle as it echoed throughout the lair as well as his footsteps would.

"No mere mortal can ever find my lair. Not even in the Underworld. Not in one piece, that is. Besides, his family are naughty and shall never see the light of day again until they learn their lesson." retorted Krampus with disbelief.

"Oh, he won't be alone. Jack Frost will be with him along a few other spirits around the spirit world. They're trying to find away into Father Time's world in order to enter the Underworld." Pitch explained even further.

"Father Time. Bah!" spat Krampus. "That nosey old goat really knows his way around the universe, especially in the Underworld. And yet, he's never managed to find my lair, the miserable coward."

"And don't forget Mother Nature, my daughter." added Pitch.

"If what you say is true, that Max and his spirit friends are searching for a way here, than I must stop them at all costs." Krampus declared.

"Yes. With your evil toys and my Nightmares, they'll have no change of finding a way here." Pitch said as he then turned to leave until the Christmas demon stopped him before he went he further.

"Not so fast, Boogeyman. I sense that you not only here to tell me of Max's journey here. What's the other reason?" asked Krampus in an authoritative tone of voice.

"Because I've been trapped away from the mortal world for too long. My Nightmares are my eyes and ears above the surface. My only ticket out of imprisonment is with your help." Pitch explained.

"You need my help to get you free?" related Krampus in a confused and non-beliving tone.

"I do, indeed. I know it's hard to understand, but you're my only hope." Pitch said.

Krampus thought hard about this for a second or two. He has never helped anyone before in his life. Finally, he made up his mind.

"Alright, Boogeyman. You have me word."

"Excellent. So good to have an ally." Pitch grinned devilishly. "But I don't have enough black sand to make more Nightmares and I only have few right now."

"Well, I have my dark elves and my toys. Who else can help us?" asked Krampus.

"Don't worry about that." Pitch assured before a wide, toothy grin from ear-to-ear made it's way on his face.

* * *

Meanwhile, Max, Jack and Bunny were hiking through the vast jungle overgrowth of the island of Moloka'i of the Hawaiian Islands as they have previously realized. Together with the snow globes, they can be anywhere they wanted, thought Max. But they only had like 12 snow globes before they used the one to get here and now they have 11, so they have a limited chance of traveling the world. So they needed to choose there next location wisely. The trio stopped in the middle of a clearing to rest for the moment.

"So how are we gonna find Father Time anyway?" Max asked as he sat down.

"First of all, it's gonna take more than one spirit to open a gateway into his realm. There's only two of us. Me and Jack. And we don't have enough power together to open the gateway." Bunny explained, twirling his boomerang around with his fingers.

"We need more spirits together in one as a team. Only then can we enter Father Time's dimension." Jack explained next.

"Okay. So let's go over our traveling arrangements. How can we get from one place to another besides the snow globes?" asked Max, changing the subject.

"Well, we don't have that many snow globes to get us everywhere. That's for sure." responded Jack.

"You flew me all the way over to the North Pole." suggested Max.

"Yeah, but I don't have the strength to carry more than one person through the air. Especially with this sack of globes." Jack shrugged and gestured to the sack he was carrying on his back.

"We can't use my tunnels either." Bunny added as well. "We barely have any idea as to where we should go and I have to know where I need to go before I open a tunnel."

"We could build a boat." suggested Max.

"A boat? How?" asked Jack.

"There's a lot of wood around here." Max gestured to the area around them. To the bark on the trees to the the branches and sticks on the ground.

"But I've never ridden on a boat before, let alone sailed one." Jack said with concern. "Besides, how are we gonna build one?"

"We don't have glue..." Bunny began.

"We'll use tree sap." Max suggested.

"Uh, Max, I hate to burst your bubble, but none of us know how to sail." Jack said, attempting to dissuade the boy.

"My aunt, Elisa, taught me how to sail a boat once when we were vacationing in Outer Banks. It shouldn't be that hard." explained Max.

"Do you even know how to build a boat?" asked Bunny.

"If I can build a tiny scale model canoe out of plastic pieces and paint, then I can't design a life-size boat out of wood and sap." Max said as he started picking up branches and sticks to begin his process. He took off to find more woods somewhere else before the two spirits could protest some more.

Jack and Bunny looked at each other with concern and confusion. The boy was desperate in sailing the ocean, but neither of them wanted to. But if building a boat was there only option of travel, they had no choice. So they helped Max out with finding more wood. There even had to carve some of the trees of there barks for bigger pieces when they couldn't find any more on the ground. They even used leaves to collect sap from the trees. It took about a few hours of work to build the structure, but they finally managed to succeed.

The boat was big enough for all of them, complete with a sail made from an old canvas that Max found lying on the ground. There were no holes in it, so that was a good thing.

"I gotta admit, after all that hard work, we've really pulled it off." Jack said, tired from all the labor, but glad nonetheless. "But where exactly are we gonna go on this?"

"We'll just keep sailing until we find another island." Max said as he hopped in.

The other two shrugged and started to push on the boat to get it into the water.

"And then what?" asked Bunny.

"Well, what other spirit lives around here?" asked Max.

"No one that we're familiar with." answered Jack. "I'm not even sure if there is one here."

With one final push, the boat was in the water and the two Guardians took their chance to hop into the boat before it floated off without them. Max unfurled the sail and the wind pushed them outward into the ocean, letting both the wind and the ocean carry them off to where they were going to go.

"You sure you know how to sail?" asked Jack.

"It's coming back to me." Max said.

On they went, sailing out onto the ocean. Max even gave Jack and Bunny a few pointers on how to sail. It's been three years since he learned to sail a boat from Aunt Elisa. The trio sailed on the boat for what seemed like hours. Hours turned into days. They took turns sailing as they needed sleep. Again, none of them had a plan on where they were going, so it seemed that were just sailing aimlessly. One night, Jack noticed Max wearing something around his neck.

"What's that?" He asked.

Max pulled out a makeshift necklace he made from Omi's bauble from Krampus using twine.

"It's a bauble that Krampus left my grandmother when she was a kid after she took her family away." Max explained, clutching the ornament in his hands. "It's all I have left of her."

"She meant a lot to you, didn't she?" asked Jack.

"Yeah. If I ever see her again, do you think she'll see you?" Max asked him.

"Like I said, she's aged and probably forgot about me. So I don't know."

Suddenly, the wind started to pick up and proved to be a little stronger to sail the boat and was even causing the boat to move jerk around from the gust.

"Jack?" Max said nervously.

"I'm not doing this." He defended, wondering what was going on.

"I don't like this." Bunny said as the wind got stronger and stronger and the ocean got more frantic, creating large waves.

A storm followed suit, raining heavily upon the poor souls on that boat as the rapid waves carried them across in rapid speed. They held on tight to something as the storm boomed and thundered, carrying them through the raging sea like a knife through butter. After a while, the waves appeared to have settled when suddenly a large wave formed in front of them. It was already too late for either of them to try and turn around as they knew it would do no good. With a flash of lightning, the wave struck them and their boat, sending them unconscious in the water.


	5. You're Welcome

Sunlight arose above the area and the trio were washed ashore on a small island somewhere in Polynesia. They were all covered in sand from the storm. Max slowly sat up and shook the sand off his body. He then gasped and checked to find his necklace. It was still on him untouched, even after that unexpected storm that shipwrecked them. Taking one look at the boat, it was also okay, despite everything. It just capsized on the ground. Bunny and Jack all shook sand off there bodies as well as they double checked their surroundings and regains their bearings.

"Where are we?" asked Jack.

"I don't know." answered Max as he checked his phone, which he had brought along with him. Thankfully, the case was water-proof, so it still worked. Unfortunately, there was no service where they were. "I got no bars."

"How did we even get here?" Bunny looked all around to see only ocean all around them and it wasn't a big island.

"The ocean must've carried us over here or something after he sunk." Max theorized.

"Well, isn't this fantastic?" asked Bunny sarcastically. "Here we are, washed up on some uncharted island in the middle nowhere and we're basically lost. And you said you knew how to sail."

"I didn't mean for this to happen, I just-"

"Hey! Look at this." Jack called out to them before they started to argue. Jack gestured to a large rock with tally marks on it in the shape of a large hook.

"What is that?" Bunny hopped over to get a closer look. "Is there someone else here?"

"Maybe they can help us." hoped Max.

"I recognize this shape. It's a hook. But not just any hook." Jack replied, brushing his hand over the marking on the rock. "This belonged to somebody."

"Who?" Max asked.

Before Jack could answer, they noticed a shadow cutting across the rocks in the shape a large, heavily-built man. It seemed familiar to Jack, but he couldn't exactly tell who it was. He quickly hid behind the boat and the others did the same.

"Where are we?" asked Max.

"It's not about where we are, it's about-" Jack was about to answer, but he was cut off in the middle of his sentence by the sudden voice of a man.

"Boat! A boat!"

Their boat was suddenly lifted into the air by the man himself. He was very thick in stature and quite muscular with light caramel skin and long black locks. He wore only a skirt made of leaves and he had tattoos all over his body. It was Maui, demigod of the wind and the sea from Māori and Hawaiian mythology and culture hero/trickster. He held the boat high above his head, believing it to have to given to him as a sign from above.

"The gods have given me a- _AHHHHHHHH!_ "

But when he noticed the three strangers before him, he jumped and screamed like a high-pitched girl as if he had spotted a spider, dropping the boat on them in the process. Maui carefully lifted the boat to see if they weren't crushed, but there was nothing there but the sand. Maui raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ahem." He felt something tap his shoulder and he turned to see Jack standing there with his staff with Bunny standing with Max. "Hi. Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and the sea, we're here-"

"Hero of men." Maui interrupted.

"What?"

"It's actually 'Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of wind and sea, hero of men'. I interrupted, please continue. From the top." Maui responded in a moment of sly suavity.

"You don't know us, but I'm Jack Frost and-"

"No, no, wait. Sorry. 'Hero of men and women'. Men and women. All. Not a guy-girl thing. I'm a hero to all. You're doing great."

Jack groaned impatiently and continued, trying not to sound rude.

"I'm Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun and this E. Aster Bunnymund, Guardian of Hope, and young Max." Jack gestures to the other two with his staff. "And we're here to-"

"Oh, right. Of course!" Maui smacked his forehead, laughing as he placed the boat down. "Of course. Yes, yes, yes! Maui always has time for his fans."

He took out the makeshift oar of the boat and used a sharp stick on the ground to write something on it.

"You can use anything sharp to write with. It's called tweeting." Maui remarked and tossed the stick away when he was done. He passed the oar to Jack, who saw that he drew a heart and hook on it, similar to the one the tally marks on that rock formed. Bunny face-palmed himself in aggravation.

"I know it's not every day you meet your hero." said Maui boastfully.

Jack promptly dropped the oar on the ground, having enough of these shenanigans.

"Listen to me, big guy." started Jack. "We're not here for any autograph or to "tweet" anything and you're certainly no hero of ours. We're here on an important quest to finding Krampus's lair in the Underworld. And we could really use your help."

Maui was silent for about two seconds before he responded with a flat tone.

"Yeah, for a second there, it sounded like you didn't like me." He replied with a dissatisfied face. "Which is impossible, since I achieved so many great things in the past for humanity's approval and love. I mean, I've been stuck here for who knows how long and here I am, in all my glory, getting only scorn and apathy. So I believe what you meant to say was 'thank you'."

"Thank you?" asked Max.

"You're welcome!" chirped Maui.

"What? No, that's what I meant! I mean, I was j-just..."

The demigod chuckled at the boy's stuttering reaction and suddenly started to sing and dance.

 ** _Maui: Okay, okay  
I see what's happening here  
You're face-to-face with greatness and it's strange_**

 ** _You don't even know how you feel  
It's adorable!  
Well, it's nice to see that humans never change_**

Maui lifted his shark tooth necklace to reveal a tiny tattoo version of himself on his left pec, which suddenly winked at Max, who gasped. Maui tossed away his necklace and gave his mini-self a fist bump.

 _ **Open your eyes, let's begin  
Yes, it's really me, it's Maui  
Breathe it in  
**_ _ **I know it's a lot, the hair, the bod!  
**_ _ **When you're staring at a demigod**_

 _ **What can I say, except "You're welcome!"  
For the tides, the sun, the sky  
Hey, it's okay, it's okay. You're welcome!  
I'm just an ordinary **_**_demi-guy!_**

Maui twirled Max around with his finger and tossed him the oar he signed. Jack and Bunny rushed over to him and watched as Maui danced around them, bragging about his accomplishments.

 ** _Hey, what has two thumbs and pulled up the sky  
When you were waddling yea-high?  
This guy!_**

 ** _When the nights got cold  
Who stole you fire from down below?  
You're looking at him, yo!  
_**

 ** _Oh, also I lasso'ed the sun  
You're welcome  
To stretch your days and bring you fun  
_**

 ** _Also, I harnessed the breeze  
You're welcome  
To fill your sails and shake your trees_**

 ** _So what can I say, except "You're welcome!"  
For the islands I pulled from the sea  
There's no need to pray, it's okay. You're welcome! Ha!  
I guess it's just my way of being me  
You're welcome! You're welcome!_**

 ** _Well, come to think of it  
Kid, honestly, I can go on and on  
I can explain every natural phenomenon  
The tide, the grass, the ground  
Oh, that was Maui just messing around_**

 ** _I killed an eel, I buried it's guts  
Sprouted a tree, now you've got coconuts  
What's the lesson?  
What is the takeaway?  
Don't mess with Maui when he's on a breakaway_**

 ** _And the tapestry here on my skin  
Is a map of the victories I win  
Look where I've been, I make everything happen  
Look at that mean mini Maui just tippity tappin'_**

 ** _Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Hey!_**

Surrounded by a vision of colorful illusions, Maui showed Mini Maui dancing along with the song before Max started to grin. But Jack and Bunny didn't seem pulled by all this. They had a strong feeling that Maui's trying to trick them.

 _ **Well, anyway, let me say "You're welcome!"  
(You're welcome!)  
For the wonderful world you know  
Hey, it's **_**_okay, it's okay. You're welcome!  
(You're welcome!)  
Well, come to think of it, I gotta go!  
Hey, it's your day to say "You're welcome!"  
(You're welcome!)  
'Cause I'm gonna need that boat  
I'm sailing away, away  
You're welcome!  
(You're welcome!)  
'Cause Maui can do anything, but float  
You're welcome!  
(You're welcome!)  
You're welcome!  
_**

All of the sudden, Max was snapped from the illusion to the reality that he was now standing inside of a cave along with Jack and Bunny. The coconuts and fruits he received was nothing, but junk. There was Maui at the cave entrance holding the oar with a smug smile.

 ** _And thank you!_**

...then he slammed the rock over the entrance, trapping them all inside. They sudden realized that they've been bamboozled and rushed to try and push the door open, but it was no use.

"Hey!" Max screamed as he pressed onto the rock as hard as he could. "That's not fair, you jerk!"

"Open up, you son of a bitch!" shouted Bunny with rage.

Maui was just casually making his way over to the boat, skipping and humming his song and ignoring the pleas of the trio trapped in the cave. Suddenly, Mini Maui stopped him by pulling on one of his tattoos on his right arm. He snapped it back, making the real Maui yelp in pain. Mini Maui glared at him for his deceit.

"What? I'm not helping out some little kid, a giant rabbit and a snow-haired spirit. I'm going to go find my hook. You have yours and I'm not Maui without mine. So there." Maui expressed selfishly, much to his mini-self's chagrin.

From inside the cave, Bunny knew there was one way out of their prison.

"Okay, hold on a minute. Just hold on." He said when he suddenly tapped the ground with his foot and before they could say anything, Jack and Max plummeted down a tunnel that appeared under their feet. Bunny jumped in with them before the hole disappeared, leaving a flower behind. Just before Maui was about to board the boat, they appeared out of the ground before him, stopping him.

"Did not see that coming." Maui commented with surprise.

Jack shot a blast of ice into his eyes with his staff as payback for that little ploy back there.

"Ah! Jeez! What was that for?!" He shrilled.

"Very clever, demigod." Bunny hissed with fury. "Trapping us in a cave and leaving us to die. Yeah. Some hero you are, mate."

"Hey, I've been stuck on this island for years and I just wanted a way off it." defended Maui.

"By fooling us so you could have the escape all to yourself?" griped Jack.

"Well, when you put it like that, it's bad."

"It is bad!" Bunny argued. "And what's worse, you'd actually so far as to even trap a young boy like Max in a cave."

"Alright, look." Maui sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I know you guys want my help, but I can't. It's not that I'm unable to, it's because I don't want to."

"Well, too bad." said Jack sternly. "You really don't have much of a choice."

"I-I...what is it that you need help for?!" Maui asked hysterically.

"We told you already." Jack answered. "We need to find Krampus. But we need to find Father Time first. And it takes more than one spirit to find a way in."

"I hate to break it you, Guardian of Fun, but I'm a demigod, not a spirit." Maui retorted.

"If you're immortal, have powers and acknowledged by the mortals as a legend or myth, than it still counts." Bunny acknowledged. "Which is why we could really use you."

"I'm a hero of men and women, alright? I don't help out mortals with entering other realms." Maui reminded them, annoyed.

"Alright, fine." Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "Then we'll just go ahead and take our boat and leave you here, stranded and alone."

Jack, with Bunny's help, pushed their boat into the ocean while Max hopped aboard. In their attempt to sucker Maui into joining them, they just sailed off slowly to see how he would react. Interestingly enough, the sounds of slashes and swim strokes proved them correct. They looked behind them to see a contempt Maui in the boat with them, soaking wet.

"I will join you guys, but only to get my hook. Nothing else." Maui declared.

"I don't know. You might change your tune along the way." shrugged Jack.

"Keep telling yourself that."

Max sailed the boat through the ocean with little effort. For the majority of the trip, Maui stayed quiet and Bunny and Jack took turns sailing the boat.

"Hey, uh, Bunny, right?" Maui broke the silence by talking to Bunny. "You really are a rabbit, right? Or is that false advertising?"

"You try to vex me and you'll be the demigod of the dead." threatened Bunny sharply, making Maui's eyes widen.

"So you really created the islands?" asked Max.

"I sure did, kid. If it wasn't for me, none of you mortals would find a place to live." Maui explained. "So tell me again why you're here?"

"I'm trying to save my family from Krampus. He captured them on Christmas this year."

"Well, sorry to hear that, little bugger. But I'm sure your family's fine." Maui said, giving him a noogie.

"I don't know that and neither do you. That's why we need Father Time's permission." replied Max.

"Okay, are you looking for 'Cramp-pus' or Father Time? Because I'm lost here." Maui asked, confused.

"We're looking for Krampus, but in order to do that, we have to see Father Time. Get it?"

"Yeah, I get it." Maui nodded.

Suddenly, a tiny arrow zipped out of nowhere and landed on the sail pole, narrowly missing Maui's head. Everyone stopped to see it and wondered where it came from. Maui, however, frowned when he grabbed the arrow as he knew where it came from.

"Kakamora." He muttered with hate.

"Kaka-what now?" asked Max.

"Murdering little savages." grunted Maui.

There was a giant shadow casting over a sea mist before them that loomed over the ocean like a mountain. It revealed to be a giant boat-like structure composed of wood, seashells and palm trees and God knows what else. Aboard the giant, mysterious boat are tiny creatures wearing coconuts as some kind of protective hide.

"They're kind of cute." Max said as they didn't seem very threatening.

But that's when they suddenly drew angry faces on their coconuts to make them appear more scary and dangerous, putting on seashells for battle armor and unsheathing makeshift swords and daggers for weapons. Max' slight smile disappeared as he was now afraid. The kakamora pounded their drums in rhythmic unison as the chief, adoring a tiny skull as a symbol of leadership, jabbed his staff toward Max, signaling him as their target. Max gasped, but Jack stepped in front of him with his own staff, ready to defend him. Bunny readied his boomerangs.

"We need to get out of here!" Maui shouted as he pulled some rope, ready to make a break for it. "Tighten the halyard! Bind the stays!"

Max got to work, but Jack and Bunny did nothing as they didn't know anything about sailing.

"You guys can't sail?!"

"He does, but we don't!" Bunny pointed at Max.

Maui and Max sailed the boat away from the direction of the kakamora to escape with their lives. They rowed fast, but they were hot on their tail; pounding away at their drums and blowing their loud horn. They were catching up now.

"Can't you shape-shift or something!?" Max screamed in desperation.

"Do you see my hook? No hook, no magic powers!" Maui explained.

The group ducked when the pygmy pirates started firing harpoons with ropes at their boat to try and yank them towards them. They all tried to jiggle and force the harpoons off their boat when they noticed the kakamora doing something with their boat. It was starting to split into three.

"Their boat is turning into more boats!" Max was freaking out now.

They managed to pluck some harpoons out just at the kakamora were using the ropes to zip-line their way onto the boat. Maui had just got some harpoons out before they even reached it. Max and the rest were trying to yank some more out. Jack finally got the last one out before the got on, causing the kakamora to fall into the ocean.

"Well, that was too close." He panted, but then they realized too late that they've missed one and the little pirates were already on the boat with them. While they fought them off, some kakamora grabbed onto Max and used more ropes to carry him onto their vessel.

"Max!" Jack screamed. "They have Max! We have to get him back!"

Bunny remembered some of the boy's teachings to sail the boat towards them in an effort to rescue the young lad from the kakamora's grasp. But the Maui backfires their plan by swiveling the boat around.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" shrieked Bunny.

"Uh, escaping." Maui remarked as if it was obvious.

"Max!" Jack argued, gesturing to their young friend being held captive by the kakamora.

"Forget it. He's as good as dead. Besides, who needs him anyway?" Maui refused, but then Jack yanked the oar out of his hands and him and Bunny jumped onto the kakamora ship, leaving Maui on the boat alone.

"Hey! What am I gonna steer with?!" He yelled. "They're just gonna kill you!"

The kakamora were no match against the two Guardians as they were merely walking coconuts, making them easy to fight. Bunny smacked some with his boomerangs while Jack swiped his staff around, summoning his ice powers. They freed Max from the tiny things and started climbing upwards once the kakamora started shooting darts at them. They missed, of course. One particular dart landed on the chief's arm. The one who shot it had a look of shock at what he had just done and earned a punch to the arm. The effects of the dart took full effect and the chief's body became completely numb and his body fell to the floor. Jack and Bunny saw Maui trying to paddle his away out of the situation and more kakamora chased after them. Using their roped harpoon, Jack aimed it at the mast of the boat and he, Bunny and Max zip-lined back onto the boat with Maui and cut it before the tiny coconuts could give chase.

But the soon realized that the three boats surrounded them. But Max quickly took over the sail and steer the boat directly to an opening ahead of them. The two kakamora boats started to close in, trying to stop them, but Max wasn't going to give up. He sailed the boat faster than before while Bunny and Jack braced for impact. Luckily, the boat zipped the opening in just the nick of time before the kakamora ships collided, sending their occupants tumbling into the water. Max sighed, glad to be out of danger.

* * *

Krampus was watching the whole thing from his magic snow globe, using it to see the outside world. He hissed with anger that the kakamora couldn't stop the boy and also that the boy had help.

"So it's going to be like that is it?" Pitch snarled, glaring dangerously. "Fine, I'm game."

"The boy is with Jack, Bunny and now that Maui character." Krampus explained with rage. "It won't be long before they find the gateway to Father Time."

"Lucky for you, I have a few other friends in my list." said Pitch.


	6. Shiny

Once they were sure that they were miles away from the kakamora, the group rested and felt glad to be safe now.

"Good job back there, gumby." Bunny patted Max on the head.

"Thanks for saving me." Max thanked them.

"You're welcome." Jack said.

Even Maui felt a smile tug it's way on his lips as he was almost surprised by the boy's sailing skills.

"Congratulations on not being dead. I'll admit, you sure impressed me back there, kid." Maui admitted before saying, "But I'm still not helping you find Krampus. If you wanna get to Father Time, you gotta go through a whole mess of bad. Not to mention sea monsters. Ever beat a sea monster?"

"No. Have you?" Jack joked with a smirk, making Maui glare.

Mini Maui fought back a giggle and brought up a scoreboard with Maui on one side and the trio on the other. He gave the trio on tally mark, much to Maui's annoyance.

"Look, I'm not going on some suicide mission with some mortal boy and two Guardians. You can't get to Father Time without more than one spirt and I'm not one of them. We're getting my hook. End of discussion."

Maui began to help himself with a banana, which Bunny snatched from him.

"Hey!"

"Good. Now let me tell you something, ya ninny!" Bunny jabbed him in the eye angrily.

"Ow!" Maui yelped.

"If you're really the hero you think you are, then you'd be thinking about the mortals and not yourself! Because from I've heard, you stole the heart from Te Fiti and cursed the whole earth you created for them just to satisfy your ego." Bunny reprimanded.

"That was one time!"

"I don't care!" Bunny shouted. "The point is you can't be a hero, if all you care about is yourself."

"I...Now listen, rabbit-!"

"No, he's right. If you help us, you'll be doing one mortal a favor. Because that's what a real hero does." Jack continued. "They do what's best for others."

"I am a hero!" Maui argued.

"Then start acting like one!" Jack yelled.

Maui was speechless as he pondered their words. Maybe they're right. Maybe he has been milking his status as a demigod for too long just to gain the mortal's love and respect. If he really was a hero, then he needed to started doing what heroes really do. Not just give them things, but to help them out with their problems. Maui finally made up his mind.

"I can't help you without my hook." He said.

"Then we'll find your hook." said Max after so long. "Just tell us where it could be."

"We go east." Maui said, walking up to the front. "To the lair of Tamatoa. If anyone has my hook, it's that beady-eyed bottom-feeder."

"Well, I'm here to help my family. So I think I should sail." Max insisted.

"It's called wayfinding, kid." Maui yapped as he climbed the mast. "And it's not just knots and sails, it's seeing where you're going in your mind. Knowing where you are by knowing where you've been."

"Whatever you say. Can you teach me how to wayfind?" requested Max. Maui scoffed when he said that as he hoped down from the mast.

"Kid, how old are you? 12? 10? 8? You're too young to understanding wayfinding. You're never gonna be a wayfinder and you're never-"

Maui didn't get to finish his sentence when Jack grabbed a dart stuck to the side of the boat by the kakamora and stuck in his butt, causing his entire body to become numb and weak. Maui flopped forward on his belly, unable to move.

"Really? Blowdart in my butt cheek?" Maui retorted to Jack.

Jack handed the oar to Max and Bunny smirked at the demigod's misery.

"You...are...bad people." Maui grumbled.

"Says the guy who trapped us in a cave just to survive." Bunny jibed back.

"If you can talk, you can teach. Now get to it, chubby." Jack poked him with his staff. Mini Maui gestured for him to do so and Maui sighed in annoyance as he didn't have a say in this.

"Pull the sheet."

Max obeyed and went for what he thought was the sheet. But it wasn't, so kept searching under Maui's instructions.

"Not the sheet. No. No. No. No. Tried that one already."

Minutes after finding the sheets, nightfall came and Maui was still overwhelmed by the dart's effects. Jack and Bunny had fallen fast asleep, unfazed by the noise coming from the two during the lesson. Max was now trying to map out the sky, but was doing poorly.

"You're mapping the stars. Not giving the sky a high-five." Maui told him.

Hours later, Max was behind the numb Maui, feeling the ocean's currents.

"If the current is warm, that means you're going the right way." instructed Maui.

"It's still cold. Wait, it's getting warm." Max said as he felt the water as it started to feel warm, but face contorted into a look of horror and disgust when he realized what he was feeling. "UGH! Are you kidding me?! That is disgusting! What is wrong with you?!"

Maui smiled mischievously and chuckled.

* * *

The morning sun arrived and Max had nodded off as well, feeling tired from all the work. But when he felt someone shaking him, he woken up to find Jack and Bunny already awake and Maui took over the sailing.

"Time to wake up, Max." Jack said.

"Enjoy your beauty sleep, kid?" asked Maui. "Us wayfinders never sleep, so we can actually get where we need to go."

"Where are we now?" said the tired Max.

"Muscle up, boy. We're here."

Max looked where they were at currently. A small island with a large, narrow stone mountain. Max looked on with amazement with his jaw wide open. Maui sailed the boat ashore and jumped out.

"Are you sure this show pony has your hook?" asked Bunny skeptically.

"Tamatoa? Oh, yeah. He's a scavenger. Collects shiny stuff. Thinks it makes him look cool. And for Tamatoa, my hook is the coolest collectible." Maui said, ready the climb the mountain.

"Go figure." Bunny rolled his eyes.

"And he lives all the way up there?" Max asked, pointing to the top of the mountain.

"What? No, no, no. This is actually the gateway to Lalotai." Maui corrected.

"Where? Never heard of it." Max vacillated.

"It's home to the ocean's dangerous monsters." Maui said as he started to climb.

"The realm of monsters?" gasped Max with fear. "We're going into a realm of monsters?!"

"We? Who's we? I'm going down there to find my hook. You stay here with the boat." Maui ordered as he climbed his way up.

Jack and Bunny stayed behind while thinking about Max's safety.

"You should probably stay, Max. It'll be too dangerous." Jack reminded him.

"Yeah, mate. You don't know what dangers lurk down there." Bunny agreed as he and Jack started to climb up.

After climbing a few feet up the mountain wall, Maui looked down to see none of them were at the boat. His eyebrows furrowed with confusion, but then he saw Max climbing the mountain with Jack and Bunny, against their pleas.

"Be careful, Max!" Jack worried.

"I'm trying." He said back with a little force in his tone as he climbed his way up.

"You really are going through a lot of trouble to help your family from the Underworld." Maui chuckled at the boy's persistence.

"They're my family, Maui." Max said as he climbed upward without looking down. "If you had a family that was held captive by a dangerous creature, would you just walk away and forget they existed?"

"I don't have a family, kid. At least, not anymore. But that's not the point. Shouldn't you be, I don't know, finding some orphanage to stay at or something?"

Jack kicked him in the side as he climbed next to him.

"Ow! I'm just saying. I mean, little boys like you shouldn't be tagging along with spirits and going through unimaginable dangers like the kakamora. The ocean's straight-up kooky-dooks. As for you, on the other hand, you're persistence and determination is worth applauding, but I should say, coming from a demigod, you should try worrying about your own safety instead of your family's."

Max was drowning out Maui's voice as he climbed. Not just to ignore his callousness, but to concentrate on getting to the top and not falling to his death. He had family to rescue and they were probably counting on him. Finally, he and the others were on the top. Max got a good view of the ocean from above and it was beautiful.

"This is a nice view." Jack said, observing the area around them.

"Yeah, it is." Bunny agreed, looking on in awe.

"If you guys start singing, I'm gonna throw up." Maui deadpanned.

"So where's the entrance? I don't see it." Max looked around for a way to get in.

"That's because it only appears after a human sacrifice." Maui explained creepily, giving Max the chills. But then the demigod snorted, "Kidding! So serious!"

Taking a deep breath in, he blew a huge gust of air, blowing all the dusty dirt out of the way to reveal a large gateway on the ground in the shape of a human face. The trio coughed from the dust in their faces. Then Maui began to do a native dance, chanting in a foreign language, confusing the three, and jumped high into the air. With enough force, he smacked dab onto the ground. Following the impact, the entrance slowly opened up. They looked down to see a faint purple glow down below. Too far down to see.

"Don't worry, it's a lot farther down than it looks." Maui assured, then cannonballed down into the seemingly-bottomless pit with a loud "Cheeeeeee-hoooooo!". The trio looked downward, watching Maui's plummeting figure disappear down into the endless darkness.

"I am still falling!" His voice echoed from below.

The remaining party looked at each other as they thought over what to do. They were a little reluctant about jumping down there.

"I feel like we should go down there with him." Jack suggested.

"Do we really need to, mate?" asked Bunny with uncertainty.

"We might as well. What if he tries to slip away once he has his hook?" Jack reasoned.

"Good point." Bunny nodded.

Jack and Bunny then jumped into the gateway's mouth and down into the descending dark with Max staying behind, hesitating.

"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this." He comforted himself with words of advice and wisdom. Then when mustering up enough courage, he took a deep breath and jumped down into the pit as well just before the entrance closed up. He fell for what seemed like an hour, until that purple glow got bigger and bigger as he descended. It was a watery surface and he broke through, finding himself swimming through.

Maui landed right onto the floor of the realm of Lalotai.

"And he sticks the landing!" He boasted, feeling proud of himself. But Mini Maui brought up the scoreboard again and gave the trio another tally mark. "What? Dum-dum, they're not even here. No mortal or Guardian is stupid enough to enter the realm of..."

Mini Maui pointed upwards, showing Maui that they've jumped in with him. They landed on top of him and then fall further down out of sight.

"Well, they're dead." He waved off nonchalantly and continued his search. "Okay. Let's find my hook."

After regaining his bearings from the lengthy fall, Max looked all around to see that he had landed inside of what looked like the bottom of the ocean floor, but the ocean was above the realm like a ceiling and he could see the fish and whales swimming from above. But then all of the sudden, a hissing cut off his reverie, making him look to see a dark purple, gangly-looking creature with four arms and wearing a native tiki mask. It advanced toward Max in an early manner, shaking his four limbs in such a way that would make one suspect it had a serious been condition. Max panted with fear as he back away, but Jack arrived just in time and swiped his staff, sending a blast of ice toward the creature, making it fall into a geyser. The geyser erupted and sent the monster flying upward the celling of ocean where he presumably drowned.

"Thanks." Max said in a shaky, panting voice.

"Come on. Let's find Maui's hook and get out of here. This place isn't safe for human kids like you." Jack grabbed Max's hand and they trudged onward, reuniting with Bunny along the way. After a while, they came upon a cave entrance which lead to a large cavern inside. Inside that cavern was Maui's fishhook just sitting there in all it's glory.

"Maui's fishhook." Max gasped with wide eyes.

"Yeah." said Maui, appearing behind them, earning him a punch in the face from Bunny.

"Oh, sorry, mate. I totally meant to do that." Bunny remarked without an ounce of remorse or regret in his voice.

"We found your hook." Max announced to him.

"Stay. All three of you." ordered Maui.

"No way. We came all the way out here and we sh-" Max was cut off by Maui rudely.

"Listen, for thousands of years, I've only been thinking about keeping this hair silky, getting my hook back and being awesome again." Maui remarked while putting his long locks in a bun. "And it's not getting screwed up by a mortal and two Guardians who have no business inside of a monster cave, except..." His voice trailed off when he spotted some shiny seashells on the ground, giving him an idea.

"...except as bait." Maui grinned towards Max, who didn't like where he was going with this.

Max was forced to dress up in golden seashells and distract Tamatoa while Maui retrieved his hook. Despite their objections, Jack and Bunny joined in to help Maui get it. Max just walked around the cave, pounding away at his drum, barely putting any heart into his act.

"Oh, wow. Look at his big shiny cave. Full of shiny things, just like me. Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle." Max droned without even trying to sound convincing as he beat his drum.

"You're not selling it!" Maui whispered to him from behind a rock with Jack and Bunny.

"This is stupid! Why don't I just walk up there and grab it?!" Max hissed at him.

"You go up there and he will kill you!" Maui warned.

"How do you know?" Bunny asked.

"He feels anything on his shell, even when he's asleep." explained Maui as Max pounded on his makeshift drum. "Oh, and when he shows up, keep him distracted. Make him talk about himself. He loves bragging about how great he is."

"Well, you two must have a lot in common." remarked Max, beating his drum.

"Tell me about it." Bunny grunted.

"Not likely. Not after I took his leg." Maui assured.

"Wait, what?! You took off his-" Max was about to protest, but saw the three gone from his sight. Suddenly, the ground started to shake violently. Max panicked when he felt a giant claw grab him from out of nowhere and he found himself witnessing the biggest coconut crab staring right back at him with a wicked, greedy smile. Tamatoa chuckled as he looked at the "shiny thing" in his pinchers.

"What have we here?" Tamatoa giggled with excitement. "It's a sparkly, shiny...wait a minute."

Tamatoa got a closer look and felt strange about what he was holding. He tossed Max into the air, removing his disguise before grabbing him again.

"It's a human boy. What are you doing down here in the realm of the mon-" Tamatoa stopped in his sentence when his eyes started loosing focus. "Just pick an eye, sonny. I can't...I can't concentrate on what I'm saying if you keep...j-just, yeah. Pick one. Pick one!"

Tamatoa eyed him closely with curiosity as he gently caressed his bauble necklace.

"You're a funny looking thing, aren't you?"

"Don't!" Max yelled, yanking his necklace back. "That's my grandma's!"

"'That's my grandma's!'" Tamatoa mocked. "I ate my grandma! And it took a week, because she was absolutely humungous. Why are you here?"

Maui, Jack and Bunny were up on a higher level behind Tamatoa and so close to the hook, but then Maui slipped, making noise. The massive crab perked up and was about to turn around when Max stopped him before he could get suspicious, buying his friends some time.

"Because you're amazing!" Max shouted, turning his attention to him. "And we mortals have heard many tales about how the great crab turned from rags to riches. And I wanted to know for myself about how you got so...crab-ulous?"

Max almost winced at how ridiculous that must've sounded coming out, but hoped the giant crustacean bought it. Tamatoa edged his eyes closer to him, glaring at him.

"Are you just trying to get me to talk about myself?" demanded Tamatoa, making Max whimper. "Because if you are,...I will gladly do so!"

Max looked surprised and confused, seeing how the crab's mood changed from angry to joyous in a matter of seconds.

"In song form!" declared Tamatoa, flicking a tiny stone up towards the ocean ceiling, making it ripple and cause the shiny objects collection on his shell glitter like a disco ball.

 ** _Tamatoa: Well, Tamatoa hasn't always been this glam_**  
 ** _I was a drab little crab once_**  
 ** _Now I know I can be happy as a clam_**  
 ** _Because I'm beautiful, baby_**

 ** _Did your granny say listen to your heart  
Be who you are on the inside?  
I need three words to tear her argument apart  
Your granny lied!_**

Tamatoa danced around in a circle while he held Max in his claw.

 _ **I'd rather be shiny!  
Like a treasure from a sunken pirate wreck  
Scrub the deck and make it look shiny!  
I will sparkle like a wealthy woman's neck**_

Tamatoa made the kill gesture by dragging his claw across his neck and making the "kck" sound. Max gulped as he held his own throat.

 _ **Just a sec  
Don't ya know?  
Fish are dumb, dumb, dumb  
They chase anything that glitters  
Beginners, ooh!**_

 _ **And here they come, come, come  
To the brightest thing that glitters  
Mmm, fish dinners  
I just love free food  
You look like seafood**_

He swallowed a whole group of fish who were unlucky enough to swim to break the surface of the bottom ocean floor and into his mouth. He then dangled Max over his mouth, about ready to eat him too. Max fought and panicked, not wanting to be eaten alive by a giant crab.

"Hey, crab cake!" shouted Maui, standing on his shell. He picked up his prized possession and held it in his hands after so many years.

"I'm back." He kissed his hook and held it up in the air. "It's Maui Time!"

The overgrown crab gasped in fear, dropping Max in the process. Jack and Bunny had gotten to the lower level and they all watched as Maui did his thing.

"What do you say, little buddy?" He asked his mini-self who took the form of a giant hawk. "Giant hawk? Coming up! Cheeeeee-hoooooooo!"

He swung his hook and was engulfed by a flash of blue glow as he transformed into...a small fish, not a giant hawk. Maui gave out his cry once more as he tried again, but ended up morphing into one animal to another such as a shark, an iguana, a reindeer, a bug, a pig and back to this true form. None of them were the giant hawk as intended. Max gasped, baffled to see that after all this trouble of getting his fishhook, he still can't shape-shift into the proper animal that he chooses to be. Tamatoa seemed amused by this turn of events. He started to shake Maui around on his shell.

 ** _Well, well, well  
Little Maui's having trouble with his little hook  
You little _****_semi-demi-mini-god  
Ouch!  
_**

 ** _What a terrible performance  
Get that hook (Get it?)  
You don't swing it like you used to, man  
Yet I have to give you credit for my start  
And your tattoos on the outside  
For just like you, I make myself a work of art_**

 ** _I'll never hide, I can't  
I'm too shiny!  
Watch me dazzle like a diamond in the rough  
Strut my stuff, my stuff is so shiny!_**

Jack raced across the ground to reach Max, but Tamatoa intercepted him by picking him up and throwing him into a cage made of giant rib bones.

 _ **Send your armies, but they'll never be enough  
My shell's too tough, Maui man  
You can try, try, try  
But you can't expect a demigod  
To beat a decapod (Look it up)  
**_

As he sang, Maui tried to recollect his precious hook, but Tamatoa stopped him every time and even whacked him off when he finally grabbed it before the crab returned it to the top of his shell. Then he banged on the wall, making a large rock cover up the ocean ceiling until it was pitch black. The only light in the darkness was Tamatoa's neon accents on his skin and the objects on his shell, giving off a blue glow.

 _ **You will die, die, die  
And now it's time for me to take apart  
Your aching heart**_

 _ **Far from the ones who abandoned you  
Chasing the love of these humans  
Who made you feel wanted  
You try to be tough, but your armor's just not hard enough  
Maui, now it's time to kick your **_**_hinny_**

Tamatoa threw the poor demigod into the air and onto his shell where he tried to receive the hook, but was too weak and his vision was all blurry. The crab twirled around, knocking him off. Bunny and Max were helping Jack out of his prison. When he was finally free, he stepped into some glowing green stuff.

 _ **Ever see someone so shiny!  
Soak it in, because it's the last you'll ever see  
C'est la vie, mon ami  
I'm so shiny!  
**_

 _ **Now I eat you so prepare your final plea  
Just for me  
You'll never be quite as shiny  
You'll wish you were nice and shinnnnnyyyyyyy!**_

After the final verse, Tamatoa tossed Maui into his mouth to eat him up, but Maui fought to keep him from chomping on him.

"Hey!" Max shouted.

Tamatoa looked down to see Max holding up a green object at him.

"I got something shiny for you!" He cried.

"The heart of Te Fiti." Tamatoa gasped after spitting Maui out. "You can't run from me."

But Max ran away anyway, catching the crab off guard.

"Oh, you can. You keep surprising me!" Tamatoa then gave chase. Maui tried to stop him, but failed. "There's only so far you can get on those two little legs."

With Tamatoa right above him, Max tripped and dropped the so-called heart into a crevice. The eager Tamatoa started greedily digging in after it like a dog.

"Finally, the power of creation for a crustacean! Where is it? Where is it?!"

While he was distracted by his little treasure hunt, Max climbed up on his shell and took the hook. He rushed over to his friends and gave Maui his hook before they made their way to the exit.

"That'll keep him busy." Max said with pride.

"Nice thinking." Jack smiled.

Tamatoa finally had what he thought was the heart of Te Fiti in his claw.

"At last, I have the...wait a minute." Tamatoa looked closer and got disappointed. "Oh! I see. He's taken a barnacle and he's covered in bioluminescent algae as a diversion!"

He was pissed now. Crushing the fake heart in anger, he chased after the party with fury. The group was outside while Jack reached for a snow globe and handed it to Max before Tamatoa broke through the cave walls, ready to enact his revenge for being played for a fool.

"Come back here!" He roared.

In his moment of fear, Max said something to the globe and tossed it in front of them. They made it through the portal with Maui which disappeared before Tamatoa could reach them. A geyser then blew up in his face, knocking him on his back.

"Hey! Hey!" Tamatoa shouted out to them, but they were already gone. "Did you like the song?"


	7. Hotel Transylvania

After narrowly escaping Tamatoa in the realm of monsters of Lalotai, the portal opened in mid-air, landing the whole group into a dark, woodsy location in the middle of the night. Maui was shape-shifting repeatedly with his hook, trying to transform into something that flies, but to no avail. Everyone landed on the group with a thud and groaned as they trying to get up and see where they were. Max got looked around to see only trees with the whole setting blanketed by the brightness of the full moon.

"Thank god we got out of that quick." Jack sighed with relief.

"I thought I was ten steps away from being crab food." Bunny said, brushing his fur.

Max laughed with excitement, glad to be alive and away from the good-looking crab monster and let out a yelp in both surprise and fright when he laid his eyes on Maui.

"Look, what you did back there, I really appreciated it." Maui started.

"Uh-huh." Max nodded with false understanding, trying to ignore the fact that the demigod looks different. Jack and Bunny were just eyeballing Maui with unblinking bewilderment.

"It took guts, but..."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm sorry. I'm trying to sincere for once and it looks like you're a little distracted." Maui remarked.

"What? No, I'm not." denied Max.

"Really? Because you're looking at me like I have a..." Maui looked at his hand in shock, realizing that it turned into a fin. In fact, the entire top half of his body has changed into the head of a shark. Maui exhaled deeply from this humiliating appearance. "...shark head."

"Uh...well, it looks fine. Nothing bad about it." Max tried to pass it off like it's nothing.

"You look like a freakin' hybrid, mate." Bunny joked.

"Look, the point is for a little mortal boy such as yourself who had no business being down there in the first place, you did me a solid. But you also almost died. And me and all my 'hero-ness', I couldn't even beat the dumb crab. So chances of finding Krampus's lair?"

Maui plopped onto the ground on his butt in defeat.

"Bupkis. We're never gonna find your family. This mission is cursed."

"No, it's not." reassured Max.

"Shark head." Maui pointed to himself to prove this.

"It's not cursed." Max grunted, dragging Maui's fishhook over to him and put it in his hands as he tried shape-shifting again, but was still having trouble doing it right. He even turned into a small white rabbit. Bunny seemed perplexed by this as he leaned down to get a look at him. Maui noticed his new form and groaned in frustration before turning back in his normal self again. He chuckled, but suddenly lost his balance and flopped onto the ground, revealing that he now has the tail of a shark.

"Cursed." sighed Maui.

This was definitely going to take some practice if he was going to control his shape-shifting powers again. Jack looked around to get a view of the area they were in again.

"Just where exactly are we?" asked Jack.

"I was scared and in a hurry to get us out of there. So I just spoke the first thing that came to mind." Max explained.

"Which was?" insisted Bunny.

"Transylvania."

Both of the Guardian's eyes widened to the size of basketballs. They couldn't believe that they were standing in the middle of Transylvania, Romania in the dead of night, especially when they've heard rumors of frightening monsters roaming about in a place like this, albeit mostly vampires as detailed in Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula. Although, Jack eyebrows furrowed in wonder. He actually flew in here a couple times, he started to remember the place by hand. Where to go and know where he was. Kind of like wayfinding, expect on land.

"Transyl-what-a?" Maui questioned, unfamiliar with the word.

"It's a small mountainous section in Romania, Europe." said Jack.

"Wait, you mean we're not by the ocean anymore?" Maui asked, flabbergasted. "But this can't be! I've never been away from the ocean before in all my immortal life! I'm the demigod of the wind and the sea! And now here I am in the middle of some weird, dead-looking landscape with a giant rabbit, a snow kid and a mortal. Now that my hook is on the fritz, we could die out-!"

Jack hit him on the head with his staff, shutting him up.

"Pull yourself together, Maui! I've been here multiple times. I know my way around this area. It's one of the gigs of being a winter spirit. You gotta know where you are and remember where you've been. It's called wayfinding." Jack jabbed, making Maui glare at him for that last comment.

"Okay, then, winter spirit. If you know how to find your way around this creepy, ugly place, why don't you lead the way?" Maui suggested sarcastically.

* * *

For a few minutes, Jack was leading them through the forest by using his own sense of direction. After a few struggles, Maui was finally able to get his body back to it's normal shape, but needless to say, the Polynesian demigod and culture hero was a little down on his luck. Not just because that his powers are faulty due to him being away from his hook for many years, but because he was so far away from the ocean, that he felt like a young child whose family had to move to a new city and leave their old house.

" _~What can I say, except "We're dead soon"?~_ " Maui sang softly to himself.

"Stop your whining. We're too far away from civilization." Jack reminded him.

"Uh, can you at least try?" Max stopped and asked him.

Maui looked at his hook with hesitation before he sighed with boredom.

"Giant hawk." He spoke with little heart, raising his hook up before giving his powers another go. Still nothing. Still no giant hawk. " _~Hey, it's okay, it's okay. We're dead soon~_ "

"Don't give up hope. You just gotta keep practicing before you shape-shift again." Max told him supportingly.

"Do you even know how long it took me to gain control over my powers when I first got this thing?" Maui asked him rhetorically, gesturing to his hook. "2 years. It took me 2 years to use my powers correctly and there's no way I'm gonna relearn them quick enough to help you find Father Time or Krampus."

"Just keep at it, gumby. You'll get there soon." Bunny told him.

"Thanks, Bunny." Maui thanked him with a deadpan.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to get a little tired." Max yawned.

"Well, we're spirits, mate. There's no need for us to sleep." explained Bunny.

"There is for me." Max said.

"There's a hotel just not too far from here. About only half a mile." Jack announced. "We'll rest there for the night."

"Are you sure?" asked Bunny, narrowing his eyes. "How can there be a hotel in the middle of all this forest?"

"You'll find out why in a few minutes." answered Jack, leaving it at that.

After about an hour, they happened upon to a road which lead to one going along the mountainside. The sign said '300 miles to Bucharest'. As the group walked on the side of the road to avoid being hit by cars unexpectedly, Maui eyed the asphalt-made pavement with eyes full of confused curiosity and felt the ground. It felt hard with a tough of a small series of bumps.

"What is this?" He asked.

"A road. It's what mortals drive their cars on." Max explained.

"And what are those yellow lines?" Maui asked, pointing at the road's marketing.

"That's to let us know where to be when we're driving and where we're allowed to go. That's the best way I can describe it." Max said.

"You mortals are full of weird surprises." Maui shook his head.

"So where is this hotel?" asked Bunny to Jack, ignoring the demigod for a moment.

"It should be down this direction here." The Guardian of Fun answered.

Suddenly, a car drove down the road from up ahead and passed the group in seconds, shocking Maui as this was his first experience around modern vehicles. From the driver's point-of-view, all he saw was Max and Maui (generally because he's a demigod). Bunny and Jack were invisible to him as they can only be seen if they were believed in and since he was an adult, he was too old and mature to believe in them. On with the journey, the group ventured down the road and head into the woods after the road lead them back to the forest. While the hiked, the air around them was getting chilly and an unexplained fog appeared around them. But the sudden drop of temperature was not Jack's doing.

"We're getting close. I know it. This way." Jack lead the party further down the path they were on, leading them through a more dense section of the forest and they found themselves happening upon a most breathtaking sight.

There it was standing before them in all it's proud and prominent glory. A large, ancient, medieval castle of some kind resting in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by a lake. Walking about a small inch onto the bridge that lead to it's entrance, everyone had their eyes full of wonder and amazement set on the large and mysterious establishment laid before them.

"That's gotta be the biggest castle I've ever seen." Max breathed.

"This day just got a little interesting." said Maui with awe.

"Well, this is the place. Hotel Transylvania." Jack announced to them.

"Wait a minute. This is the hotel?" Bunny replied, looking at him.

"Yeah. They try to get a little space away from civilization." Jack said as he prepared to walk towards the entrance.

"But how could this even be a hotel, anyway? A giant, old castle in the middle of nowhere?" Bunny sputtered, not feeling right about this.

"Let's just say the owner likes to keep things gothic and old-fashioned. Come on."

Since they had no other choice, they followed Jack across the bridge towards the enigmatic Gothic foundation which could be a hundred years old. The mist around them never thinned nor vanished, giving off that creepy horror vibe. Jack had stopped just in front of the castle or hotel's front entrance, which was a sliding glass door.

"Now I've been to place many times before, so let me just give you guys a heads-up. The people who come aren't exactly people. They're not too fond of normal humans. So, Max, you might want to just let us do the talking okay?" explained Jack warningly.

"Okay." Max nodded.

"Are you saying this is a hotel for monsters?" Bunny asked, baffled. "Are you out of your mind? That's not a place for little kids! Especially Max!"

"Don't worry, I've handled monsters before." Maui exclaimed proudly, which didn't last long, considering that he remembered his hook. "Which would've been easy if my hook wasn't messing me up."

"Guys, Max is the only human in our group and he's only a child. So there's a definite chance that they'll harm humans. Not only that, but they're afraid of humans."

"Then why are we going in there?" asked Maui.

"Max needs rest and this hotel is our only option." Jack said as he entered through the sliding door and appeared inside of the hotel's lobby. The rest followed suit and gasped when they realized that they were surrounded by monsters. Some unfamiliar to Maui. There were mummies, Gillmen, gargoyles, tiny floating brain aliens, a giant spider, a blob, a Sasquatch, werewolves, skeletons, zombies and God know what else.

"Hide him." Jack whispered to Bunny and Maui and all three of them huddled around Max, shielding him from view of the monster guests out of fear of causing a panic. Jack gave a silent command to Max to keep quiet when all of the sudden, a speeding flash of purple mist darted down from the steps and materialized in front of the group in the form of the legendary vampire king, Count Dracula.

"Well, well, well, Jack Frost. What a pleasant surprise you decided to drop in." Dracula greeted. "And who are your friends?"

"This is Bunny and Maui." Jack greeted, to which his comrades waved at Dracula with nervous, forced grins. "And we're here to turn in for the night."

"Turn in? Spirits do not turn in." Dracula asked suspiciously. "What for?"

"Actually, I'm a demigod, so-" Bunny punched Maui in the stomach before he could finish his sentence.

"Funny story actually, we thought about the great Hotel Transylvania and all it's comfort. So we thought, 'Maybe we should rest here'. After all, we are busy people and busy people need their rest after so much work, right?"

Bunny and Maui nodded in agreement, playing along.

"You strike a good point. Very well, then. How long a stay?" asked the Dark Prince.

"Just for the night." Jack said.

"I see. Well, enjoy your stay at Hotel Transylvania." Dracul disappeared from their sight after his final words to them. Jack, Bunny and Maui quickly, but cautiously walked over to the front desk while staying close together, trying to keep the monsters from seeing Max. They finally made it to the front desk where a zombie was the receptionist. He handed them a key to room 201, which Jack quickly took. Then they tip-toed over to the elevator while the monsters were giving them strong looks. The elevator finally arrived and the quickly hopped in, keeping Max behind them. The elevator door closed and began it's ascend.

"Good idea, mate. Spending the night at a monster hotel. Brilliant." Bunny muttered sarcastically.

"It was either this or build a fire out in the woods." Jack argued.

"This room here is a little cramped." Maui said.

"Was that really the Count Dracula?" asked Max. "The one from the movies and the book?"

"Not sure about the movies, but definitely the novel. He's real, too." Jack told him. "As real as I am and basically everything else."

The elevator came to a stop to their desired floor and seeing that there were no monsters about this floor, the group stepped out and they moved down the hallway with Max walking freely with them, both he stayed close them as he didn't want to get lost in a hotel full of scary monsters.

"Nice digs." Maui commented, looking all around.

"Tell me you aren't serious." Bunny somewhat begged.

"Jack?" A girl's voice came out of nowhere.

Everyone gasped in fright and panicked, quickly surrounding Max in their sudden haste to hide him.

"Is that you?" The winter spirit noticed a girl down the hall and he knew her anywhere. That smooth, black hair, black dress, black and red striped stockings, red converse and the black Gothic makeup.

"Mavis?" Jack queried.

"Holy rabies!" Suddenly, without warning, the girl zipped across the hall in a seconds-long speed that would put Jesse James or Jeff Gordon to shame and wrapped her arms around Jack in a tight embrace, taking him by surprise. This was Mavis Dracula, the daughter of Dracula, owner of the hotel and Jack's old friend. Maui and Bunny watched the scene with raised eyebrows.

"You actually came back! I thought you never would!" After a while, the vampire girl lets go of him to face him eye-to-eye. Jack got a good look at those big blue eyes that he surely missed.

"Well, you know, being a Guardian means you have to be pretty busy to get stuff done. Sorry I never had the chance to drop by and visit." Jack told her.

"It's okay, Jack. You're here now and that's all that matters." Mavis hugged him and looked at his friends.

"I see you have company." She said.

"Yeah. We came here to spend the night." He explained, trying not to seem suspicious.

"Is that a human with you?" She asked pointing at the barely-hidden Max. Maui wasn't doing a good job hiding him, leaving him exposed.

"Yes, but don't be alarmed. He-"

Mavis zipped in front of Max to get a good look at him. She had never seen a human before and always wondered what they were like. She crouched down in front of him and held his face.

"An actually human in our hotel? Oh my gosh, you're cuter than I imagined!" Mavis squeaked, holding his cheeks. "And warm."

"You're probably wondering why he's here." Jack noted.

"Yeah, and why we're all here too." Bunny remarked.

"Why is this human boy here?" asked Mavis.

"Come with us to our room and I'll tell you everything."

Mavis nodded and followed them to Room 201. Once inside, Max went straight to bed and passed out from fatigue. As he was out like a light, Jack brought him to a far end of the room to speak to her.

"Few days ago on Christmas, Max's family was taken by the Christmas demon, Krampus and taken to his lair in the Underworld." He explained.

"Holy rabies! Really? That's terrible!" Mavis cried with shock.

"That's right. And we're helping him on his mission to save them. But in order to find Krampus's lair, we need to seek out a few spirits, or mythical beings, to help open up a gateway into Father Time's realm to gain entry to the Underworld." Bunny took over.

"Well, that must be a long and difficult journey." Mavis replied.

"You're telling me. I was dragged away from my place by the ocean to join these guys in their little mission." Maui stated pompously.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Mavis asked him.

"I'm Maui." He expressed, but she didn't react. She raised an eyebrow. "Maui? Demigod of the wind of the sea? Hero of all?"

"Never heard of you." She stammered.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Shh!" Jack and Bunny hissed, reminding him that Max was still asleep in his bed.

"Take me with you." Mavis suddenly requested.

"What?" asked the two Guardians, hoping they heard her correctly.

"Jack, it's been my entire dream to venture into the outside world and see what it's like. I've always wanted to see Haweewee." Mavis pleaded.

"It's Hawaii and we've already been there." Bunny retorted. "That's actually where we found him and nearly died at the hands of a giant monster crab with a love and taste for all things shiny."

Maui looked at him as if he had insulted him, but said nothing.

"I'll never understand that." Mavis said and faced Jack, dropping onto her knees and hugging his legs protectively as she begged. "Please, Jack. I've never been outside the hotel."

"Mavis, you know I can't do that." Jack informed her. "Your dad will flip his lid if he finds you gone."

"My dad will never know! I promise. I'm begging you. Take me with you! Please! Please! Please!" Mavis begged and begged on the verge of tears.

Jack shared a look with Bunny, silently asking him if they should allow her to come with. Looking at her right now, she was extremely desperate to get away from the hotel. Finally, after enduring more of her pleading, Jack made up his mind.

"Alright! Alright, you can come with us!" Jack sighed.

"Yay!" Mavis cheered, jumping for joy, only to be shushed when she got too loud. Mavis mouthed a "sorry" to them and silenced herself.

"When do we start?" She asked in a hushed voice.

"We won't be here for long. We'll leave tomorrow morning and are you sure your dad won't notice?" asked Jack with concern.

"I wouldn't worry about that. I've got someone to help me out with that." Mavis assured with determination.


	8. Darkness Brings Death

The next day at exactly 1:22 PM, Mavis hired a shapeshifter to take her place while she was gone. The shapeshifter took Mavis's form and was instructed specifically to look, act and sound exactly like her. Do everything she would do and say anything she would say. The shapeshifter also has her memories, so it would be proven useful. And also, just to be safe, the shapeshifter must obey the laws of physics, which means he'd get burned from the sunlight, avoid garlic and possess Mavis's vampire abilities. Her father will never know the difference. Max, Jack, Bunny, Maui and the real Mavis slipped out of sight from the other monsters and her father, avoiding detection just so they don't notice her leaving.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Jack with a tone of worry that her father will find out.

"Please, Edgar is a true master of disguise and my dad knows me all too well for him not to spot the difference." Mavis reassured. "Now back to the task at hand. I managed to swipe a potion from one of the witches, which will render me immune to all of the vampire's weaknesses, including sunlight. That way, I'll be like any normal human. But I'll still keep my abilities, though."

"You stole from a witch?" asked Jack with disbelief.

"Witches exist, too?" Max asked out of curiosity and bewilderment.

"Many supernatural and paranormal things exist, Max." Mavis explained, carefully grasping the vial of green, spiraling liquid. She unscrewed the cap and downed the bottle before putting it down. She didn't feel any different.

"Come on." said Jack.

The now five-membered group snuck their way through the dark, ancient hallways and corridors until they finally reached the lobby of the hotel. The sunlight to peering through windows, introducing the interior of the foundation with it's soft, beautiful luminance. Mavis yelped when it touched her and covered her eyes, awaiting a great deal of burning, sizzling pain and agony. However, it never came and she felt all over her body, feeling no burns and anything of the sort. Here she was fully touched by the sun's light for the first time and actually surviving. It was a miracle. She can actually go out during the day.

"Yes!" She cheered, jumping in the air and turning into a bat, flying all around and flapping her wings with delight.

"Shhh!" The boys hushed, warning her to calm down and be quiet. "Everyone is sleeping."

"Oh, sorry." Mavis changed back to her ordinary self and felt embarrassed for getting a little too hyperactive, hoping that she hadn't accidentally disturbed anyone and give away their position. "So where should we go first? I'm open for anything. Absolutely anything. Just name it."

Max took out a snow globe from the sack and thought over his options. Soon, he made up his mind and whispered his destination into snow globe. From inside it, the flurry of snow turned into a rocky mountain by the ocean and he tossed it on the ground, opening the portal. Max was the first to jump through, followed by the rest of the guys, leaving Mavis. This was all a surprise to her, but she followed nonetheless before the portal vanished. The group found themselves in another woodsy area, but one different from the forest landscape back in Transylvania.

"Where are we now?" asked Maui, brushing back the overgrowth.

"Where'd you take us, Max?" Bunny asked the boy.

"Japan." He answered.

"Japan?" parroted Mavis with a curious, but confused look. "What's that again? Some kind of island?"

"If it's an island, then it's close to the ocean." Maui responded, feeling a bit of relief that he was next to the sea once again.

"Japan's actually next to the Hawaiian Islands and near where we found Maui. I think." Max told Mavis.

"Where did you find him?" She asked.

"I don't remember the name of it. It was just a very small island in the middle of nowhere." explained Max, while the demigod stepped in on the conversation so braggingly.

"I've been stuck there for a thousand years until these guys showed up." Maui complained with a deadpan snark.

"You say you're a demigod of the sea, right? I mean, don't you have, like,...water-type powers or something?" asked Mavis to the muscular so-called hero.

Maui chuckled out of amusement at her question and brushed some hair back before answering, "Little missy, all I can do is live young and forever and shape-shift into various animals."

"Well, couldn't you have just turned into a bird or fish to get off the island by yourself?" Mavis then asked him.

"I can't shape-shift without my hook. And my hook was stuck in a monster realm, in the grabby claws of a giant coconut crab that-"

"Likes anything shiny. I know." Mavis rolled her eyes, having heard this before. "What else is this giant crab like? Personality-wise?"

"Well, where do I start? Arrogant is one. Greedy, selfish, cannibalistic, something of a hoarder, likes to talk about himself, need I say more?" Maui went on and on about his crustacean nemesis.

"I've heard enough. Thank you." She said curtly.

"Hey, there's a mountain over there!" Bunny called, standing a meter away from them and pointing out to the same rocky mountain that appeared in the snow globe before they arrived. "Maybe we can climb to see where we are."

"Let's go." Jack told the others and the whole group trekked through the vast forest and trees, which seem to go on for hours, until they passed under a red _torii_ gate and happened upon a small Japanese village by the looks of it, surrounded by patches of fields. Many native village folk in kimonos and other traditional Japanese garb. They were receiving looks of suspicion by the people since they were strangers here. Jack wanted tried to get some answers, but the kimono and profoundly-clad villagers headed for their homes and locked them up tight.

"Well, isn't that just sweet." Maui retorted sarcastically.

"Maybe they're afraid of something." guessed Mavis with a shrug.

Just then, softer than a whispering breeze, a graceful, yet mysterious melody crept by Max's ears. It was barely audible, but it still came by at a noticeable pace. Max drifted his eyes toward where it was coming from.

"You hear that?" He asked the group.

"Hear what?" said Bunny, moving his ears around, but not hearing so much as a tiny whisper. "I don't hear anything."

"I hear...music." Max replied, feeling somewhat hypnotized by it's generous tone.

"Music? Where do you hear music?" asked Maui.

"Up there, I believe." Max pointed up at the mountain, then, in spite of himself and to see who or possibly what was making that strong, but beautiful music, he began to make his way towards it, crossing the bridge and walking in the direction where he could hear the music from. Confused, the rest followed behind him down the path. But, of course, it wasn't really a mountain. More of a cliff above the ocean to be exact. The group hiked up the trail, leading farther up the mountain. Along the way, the music got louder and became more apparent to the rest.

"Oh, now I hear it." said Jack, nodding.

"If there's music, there's someone living here." Bunny avowed, putting pieces together.

"Who could be living on a large mountain by the sea?" asked Maui, not getting it.

"Think with your brain, Maui. Not with your mouth." ordered Mavis tauntingly, making him glare at her and Bunny chuckle.

"I like this sheila already."

Max was just nearing the top of the mountain ahead of his friends with the music growing ever louder as he got closer. The path led them to the back of the mountain to cave at the top that faced the steady ocean outwards. Max peered inside as it looked like there was, indeed, somebody living there. Everything inside accommodate for a person, especially the conveniently-made campfire in the middle with a pot over it, acting a place to cook meals. Max's eyes dart over to the main source of the music inside of the cave.

Sitting there on the floor, was a young Japanese woman in approximately her earlier 40's or 50's with long black hair that reached down her back, which was tied at the bottom. There was a faint scar across her left eye and she wore a kimono and other traditional garments that looked to have been made recently. Something you don't see from someone living in a cave away from populated areas. The woman was just sitting cross-legged on the floor, gracefully strumming away on the strings of a shamisen with her eyes closed, entranced by her own music. Max carefully approached her and watched her play. When he was standing just in front of her, he cleared his throat, which made her halt her music abruptly.

"Uh, hi." Max waved at the woman as she looked up at him. Upon seeing him, however, she jumped up from her spot on the cave floor, gasping and dropping her shamisen and pick in shock, baffled to see a foreign boy standing in her cave out of nowhere.

" _あなたは誰ですか、あなたは私の洞窟で何をしていますか？_ " demanded the woman in her native tongue, staring at him firmly with her hands on her hips.

"What?" asked Max, unsure of what she just said, which made her blink with realization.

"Oh, American." She said in English now. "I see. I said 'Who are you and what are you doing in my cave?'"

"My name is Max Engel and I, uh..." Max twiddled his thumbs nervously as he tried to think of better way to explain his situation to the woman. "I overheard your music from a mile away, miss. It sounded quite nice. I just wanted to see who was doing it."

The woman's stern expression melted into a surprised look, feeling rather flattered that the American child before her enjoyed her melody.

"We're here on a mission, ma'am." said Jack who had entered the cave shortly after Max revealed himself before the woman's eyes.

"A mission, you say? What kind of mission?" The woman asked.

"A rescue mission, ma'am." Bunny interjected. "You see, this boy's family was taken by Krampus, a dark Christmas demon, and we're on a journey to help him free them."

"Gracious! You poor boy." gasped the woman, giving Max a sympathetic look. "You know how dangerous it is to be out here?"

"As I've been told. But they're my family and I need them as much as they need me." Max explained with a determined expression.

"I'm touched by your bravery, Max. But aren't you a little young for all of this?"

"As long as he's with us, he's in no danger." Mavis reminded her with comfort.

"Who are all of you, may I ask?"

"I'm Jack Frost, this is E. Aster Bunnymund, Maui and Mavis Dracula." Jack introduced himself and his friends to the woman.

"Call me Sariatu, if you please." introduced the woman, now identified as Sariatu. "And care to remind me how you'll be able to find this Krampus?"

"We need the help of other spirits to open a portal to Father Time's castle. Only he can help us enter Krampus's lair." Jack explained to her.

"Ah. Well, to be honest, I'm not exactly human. I'm born of powerful magic to a mystical ruler known to many as the Moon King. I've been around since the Feudal times. I might be able to help you, but the trouble is, I've never been outside of my own cave in a very long time." Sariatu explained. "And not only that, but my magic could be proven dangerous if I'm not careful."

"You're a sorceress? Can you show us?" requested Mavis eagerly.

"If you insist." Sariatu shrugged and shut her eyes before strumming her shamisen in a new melody. While doing so, sheets of colored construction paper flew out and twirled around in the air in a synchronized fashion, much to the awe of the watchers. The papers then came together to form an origami dragon, making the group exclaim with amazement as the paper dragon seem to move on it's own and stare Max in the face. It climbed all over him, making him laugh before it came apart and turned back into papers again, which unfolded to become flat and perfect as if nothing happened.

Mavis applauded the tiny performance she received and cheered, "Amazing!"

Sariatu smiled at the vampire girl's perkiness and felt glad someone enjoyed seeing her demonstrate her magic tricks. But then she shifted her gaze out towards the sky in the distance outside the cave. The sun was nearly setting and nightfall was closing in fast. The reclusive sorceress grew pale, knowing what this meant; that the group was not safe out there during the night.

"You all better rest here for the night." warned Sariatu in grave tone. "It's going to be dark soon. And when darkness falls around here, death follows with it."

"I don't like the sound of that." Jack said worriedly.

"Doesn't sound so bad." Mavis shrugged, unafraid. "I'm a creature of the night. What could possibly be dangerous?"

"You really wanna know?" asked Sariatu in a tone that tells her it's best to not know.

"Uh, okay." Mavis murmured. "I got it."

"Believe me, it's best if Max stays in here until sunrise." Sariatu brushed some of Max's hair back soothingly when she said this.

For the remainder of their temporary stay here in the cave, the group sat around the fire and shared stories.

"So you're a winter spirit, huh?" asked Sariatu.

"Yeah, I was brought to life by the moon and I bring winter all around, giving kids the time of their lives..."

"And ruining my egg hunts." added Bunny in annoyance, twirling his boomerangs.

"Really?" chuckled Sariatu. "Well, you'll have that, I guess."

Bunny laughed slightly sarcastically and shook his head. Sariatu eyed him with interest.

"You know, something about you interests me. A giant, talking bunny rabbit who delivers colored eggs to children. Since when do bunnies lay eggs?" Sariatu asked the Aussie-accented Pooka, who furrowed his eyebrows in irritation. It only got worse when Jack, Mavis and Max giggled in amusement.

"Ha ha, hilarious." Bunny gave an eye roll. "I don't lay the eggs, they grew out of flowers at my will. I'm not a bleeding chicken."

"Well, excuse me, touch guy." Sariatu held her hands up in mock surrender, but kept an amused smirk on her voice. "It was just a question."

"Anyway, you say the moon brought you two to life?"

"Yeah." The duo Guardians said at once.

"How did my father manage that?" She asked.

"Wait, the moon is your father?" asked Jack, dumbfounded.

"No, he rules the moon. It's his domain. He's never told me about Guardians before." explained Sariatu.

"We never knew there was an evil tyrant living on there." Jack said. "We refer to him as the Man in the Moon. He speaks to us sometimes. He's kept quiet to me years since my awakening as a spirit. It was only when I became a Guardian that he started speaking to me."

"Oh, I'm very sorry. I can imagine how hard that must be." Sariatu comforted while Mavis grasped his pale hand with sympathy.

"What about you, big boy? What's your story?" Sariatu asked Maui next, who sat away from the group near the mouth of the cave, fingering his hook with boredom.

"I don't really wanna talk about it." He muttered in a low tone, avoiding her gaze.

"Come on, man. Tell us. We promise we won't judge. Is this why your hook is not working?" Max pried desperately.

"I said I don't wanna talk about it!" Maui yelled and turned his back on them, fully facing the ocean.

Sariatu glared at him as she stood up and marched over to where he sat, snatching his hook off the ground and holding it out of his reach when he tried to get it back.

"Hey!" He barked. "Give me that!"

"I will give this back until you start talking. Starting now." Sariatu ordered with a fiery, authoritative voice.

Maui sighed and decided it was pointless staying quiet about it and said somberly, "I wasn't born a demigod, okay? I had human parents. But from the moment I was born, they took one look at me and decided...they didn't want me. So they tossed me under the sea like I was...nothing. The ocean saved my life and somehow, I was found by the gods. They gave me the hook. They made me Maui." He helps his hands out with a relaxed smile as if to give a prayer. "Then back to the humans I went. I have them islands, fire, coconuts, anything they could ever want."

The others gave Maui a shared sympathetic glance. Jack could relate to him as he, too, spent years in his immortal life trying to get children to notice him by giving them snow days and fun times, but never worked out until her met Jamie years ago.

"You did everything for them." Max said. "So they'd love you."

"It was...never enough." Maui nodded with remorse.

Sariatu held his hook out to him, which he accepted half-heartedly.

"Maybe the gods found you for a reason. Maybe the ocean brought you to them because it saw someone worthy of being saved. But the gods don't make you Maui, you do." She told him with a hint of wisdom. "We'll help you get your hook working again. Now get some sleep. All of you. No going out at night. We leave first thing tomorrow."

That night, everyone slept away in the cave as the fire dimmed and dimmed before going out, leaving behind scorched firewood with a slight string of smoke that drifted upward and the cave in ebony darkness, lit only by the light of the moon in the night sky. Suddenly, a soft voice whispered out from outside the cave as faint as a breeze.

"Max." It called out from the wind that flowed inside the cave and into Max's ear. Suddenly, Max awoke in a trance as he slowly stood up and blindly walked out of the cave, following the voice. He couldn't control himself. It felt like something was controlling him, making him leave the safety of the cave and into the dangerous night darkness outside against his will and he didn't even realize it either. The voice called out his name a few more times, leading directly toward the village.

Max stopped dead in his tracks when he regained clarity. He found himself standing in the village in the middle of the night. Disoriented, he saw that he had walked far away from the mountain and he didn't even know it. Max grew increasing nervous and frightened as he was about to turn around and head back to the cave when the voice called out again. This time, sounding much closer and clearer. An unexplained mist appeared in the area, making the boy more unnerved.

"Hello?" called back Max to whoever it was out there. At first, he was meet with utter silence and could see no one and nothing, but the village buildings and the trees. Then a feminine voice broke the chilling silence like an ice pick, startling poor Max out of his wits.

"Hello, boy. Are you lost?"

Max faced a mysterious woman wearing a disturbing white Noh mask that looked like a beautiful woman face, a black straw hat, black body armor and a black cape that resembled crow wings. She was brandishing a kusarigama and a pipe and was levitating just an inch off the ground. It was impossible to tell if the woman was staring at him or not as there was nothing to see through those eyeholes in the mask. The woman chuckled darkly, bringing chills down Max's spine. Just then, another woman, who looked just like her complete with the same attire and mask, floated out from behind her. They must be twins.

"My, my, my." said Karasu, the first twin, in an playfully elegant tone. "Little boys like you shouldn't be out this late at night."

"You might get hurt." added Washi, the second twin, and both sisters cackled together.

"Care to see what's under?" asked Karasu mockingly as she carefully removed her mask to reveal her true face, which differed from the mask itself in many ways. She had gruesomely pale skin and milky-white, pupil-less eyes.

"Boo." Max jumped back with a yelp and the two sisters howled with diabolical laughter as Karasu placed her mask back on.

"What do you want?" Max asked them, sweating with fear for his life.

"We've been waiting for you, Max Engel." They both replied in perfect, but eerie unison, causing the boy to back away a step. "And we know why you're here."

"Why do you risk your life for them?" asked Washi.

"Who?" Max asked.

"You know who were talking about." Karasu demanded, getting closer to him with her sister. "Why are you, an innocent young child, going through all of this danger just to save your family? What have they ever done for you?"

"I-I don't know what you m-mean." stuttered Max in denial.

"Don't play coy with us!" barked Washi.

"Can't you see that you're finally free without them?" Karasu reasoned, trying to toy with Max's logical thinking.

"No one to tell you what to do."

"To tell you who to be."

"Or to ruin your perfect holiday." They both finished together in synchronization.

"Leave me alone!" Max screamed, covering his ear to block out their lies and trickery. Karasu hissed with anger and she gripped her claws on Max's face, lifting him up off the ground.

"He won't let you stand in our way. Fear will empower the weak and darkness shall be the true light. But don't worry,...we will take good care of you." Karasu and Washi finished the last sentence together in a silky-sweet coo, almost seductively as Washi gingerly caressed his face.

"Hey!" shouted Jack's voice and the two sisters were too late to react when they were struck by a blast of icy magic, knocking away from Max. Jack and the others, joined by Sariatu, are realized Max was gone from the cave and rushed to save him before they dragged him away. Jack rushed to his aid in no time.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine now." Max grunted as Jack helped him to his feet.

The sisters collected their thoughts and rushed back to the scene and they both scowled with burning hatred and unfathomable fury from behind their matching masks when they spotted their treacherous elder sister, Sariatu, who stood her ground and glared back at her former younger sisters and readied her shamisen.

"Sariatu." growled Karasu, levitating over to her with Washi, holding up her kusarigama in intimidation. "I had a feeling you would dare show your face in our presence."

"The feeling's mutual." Sariatu piped as she strummed her shamisen, sending a powerful, mystical wave of magic at them, which blasted them back once more. But that didn't deter them. Karasu twirled her kusarigama while Washi unsheathed her katanas and the three sisters flew into an all-out battle that continued into the forest. Sariatu turned her shamisen into a sword of her own and fought her two, identical sisters with determination. Bunny, Jack and Mavis joined in on the fight, while Maui sat this one out since he was still having faulty shape-shifting powers. Bunny attacked the two with his egg-sploders that blew up into colorful clouds of smoke in there faces, Mavis utilized her vampire powers to easily handle them both, but Washi slashed her katanas at her with Mavis dodging using her razor-sharp nails. Jack cut in by shooting at her with a strong, ice flurry from his staff until Karasu wrapped her chain around his neck, strangling him and cutting off his air.

"You are no match for us, Guardian!" She roared as she tightened the chain, making him gag and try to wrestle himself free of her deadly grasp. "You will not win! Soon he'll be more powerful than any of you!"

Jack's anger summoned enough ice power, strong enough to blast her off of him, shattering the chain into pieces in the process. Jack reclaimed his staff and looked to see that the wave he created caused the bottom half of her mask to break off, revealing her lips curled up in rage. She and Washi were about to overpower them, but Sariatu stepped in with her sword and slammed it into the ground so hard, it made an even bigger magic wave that blew the two, conniving sisters away and out of sight. Sariatu panted, exhausted from the fight as her sword transformed back into a shamisen. She turned to give Max a look that his mother would give him when he disobeyed her.

"What did I say about going out at night, young man?" She demanded sternly.

"I'm sorry. I swear I didn't know I came out here. I just woke up out here. I don't even remember leaving the cave." explained Max, feeling like he was trapped in a corner.

"They must've lured you out with a hypnotic siren call." breathed Sariatu in a calmer facade. "It took control of your actions."

"I...I guess? Can they even do that?" asked Max nervously.

"I know my sisters, Max." Sariatu said as she rested a hand on his cheek. "I'm just glad you're alright. Just promise that you won't scare me like that again."

"I'll try not to. But I can't make any promises." Max shrugged, but was honest regardless.

"Good enough." nodded Sariatu. "Now come on. Let's get back to bed."

They all headed back for the cave, but there was something that they needed to know for sure about what the two sisters were rambling about out there.

"Who were they?" Mavis had to ask.

"My sisters." hissed Sariatu venomously. "Karasu and Washi, lethal assassins to my father, the Moon King. We've driven apart many years ago when I opened my heart out to the humans. They both saw this as weakness and believed love to be waste of morality."

"What were they talking about? 'Soon he'll be more powerful'." asked Maui. "Who's 'he'?"

"Well, it can't be my father. All my father wanted was for the human race to be blind and corrupt just as he is." Sariatu explained. "He never actually wanted darkness and fear to fall over the world. So if not him, then who?"

"I think I know who." Jack answered with a knowing expression.


	9. An Uneventful Transport

**Disclaimer: I don't own the source material included in this crossover story. Thank you all for being so patient with me.**

* * *

From inside his dark and nightmarish lair beneath the earth, Pitch observed the globe of his, a differently-built version of North's globe, as he waited patiently for news about the group and when and if they had been stopped. As his patience close to running low, Karasu and Washi appeared behind him, both a bit scarred from their previous fight and the telltale missing mouth piece on Karasu's mask. Pitch turned to face them with a face full of expectation.

"Well?" He asked them, growing impatient. "Any luck?"

The sisters looked at each other with wordless expressions, silently wondering if they should tell him truthfully or not. But Pitch was one to be lied to so they both levitated closer. Karasu stood closer to Pitch, trembling nervously.

"I'm...sorry, my lord. We almost had him, but our sister, that nosey Guardian and his friends got in the way. We..." She gulped with droplets of perspiration trickling down her barely-exposed face as her gnawed on her bottom lip. "...we failed."

With the final words gone through, words couldn't possibly describe the tension Pitch felt right now. Enraged and furious over their failure, Pitch struck Karasu in the face rather hard, which created an echoing slap, knocking her to the ground and her hat and mask fell off and onto the ground. Washi gasped when he beat her sister and backed away a step, shaking with fright, hoping not to receive the same treatment. Although, one of the Nightmares stared at her dead in the eye with it's glowing, yellow eyes.

"Unbelievable." Pitch sighed with exasperation, brushing his hair in stress. "I suppose it's times like this when you have to pull out the big guns."

"We'll try harder next time, my lord!" pleaded Karasu from the floor. "I promise! Just give us another chance!"

Pitch laughed darkly at her pitiful begging to do better and improve their performance.

"Next time? I doubt there will be a next time. And that was your only chance, my dear. And you both blew it." Pitch declared, pushing her face up with his finger to look at him. "You two are useless to me now."

Dreadfully slipping his finger from under her chin with hate, he waded over to the globe within over his current options.

"May I ask if you father is available?" He asked.

Both twin sisters shared a collective gasp and said, "But our father does not work well with others. And he most currently would not want eternal darkness everywhere."

"Oh, well." The Boogeyman gave a nonchalant and casual shrug. "He'll have to wether he likes it or not. Besides, I'll give him an offer he can't refuse."

"What's that?" asked Washi.

"That is none of your concern." He quipped dangerously. "We're done here. Leave my sight. NOW!"

Startled by the sound of him raising his voice, the sisters jumped the made their way out. Karasu grabbed her mask and her hat before joining her sister, departing the Boogeyman's lair in seconds. Pitch sighed and eyed his Nightmares around the lair.

"Our time will come, my friends. We just have to wait for the right moment." Pitch announced to his army.

* * *

Meanwhile in the darkness and eerie atmosphere of Krampus's hideout, there were thousands of snow globes around on shelves and tables and each one held the victims he had captured over the years whom he considered naughty. One of them being Max's family, trapped behind round glass inside an exact replica of the Engel household and surrounded by the countless number of other poor souls who have been drifted away and held captive by the Christmas demon. Tom stared out the window with a look of regret and heaved a sigh. This was worse than their situation back on Christmas when it was twelve people who couldn't stand each other stuck in a house with no heat, no water and no electricity, except a decrease in warm temperature.

The rest of the family were not enjoying themselves as much either. Here they were in the Engel house inside of a snow globe, forced to live with each other and never to see the outside world again. Linda wished that things could've gone better as did Sarah, not it was all for naught. Some family issues just don't get old. Howard felt like he would never hunt again or drive his beloved Lucinda ever, now that it's been torn to pieces like it was nothing. He wanted his children to have the perfect future, become exceptional sports players and now it's never going to happen. Aunt Dorothy has always wasted her life in a trailer park on her own, drinking and complaining about every trivial thing that life had to offer and throw in her general direction, much to the ire of her relatives.

Beth never once enjoyed her life with her family and mostly found solace and comfort in speaking with her boyfriend, Derek. Of course, it was not uncommon for teenagers like her to become easily-annoyed and bored with everything that they would usually bury their faces in their phones, surfing the net or texting with friends and the like. And Beth was stupid enough to go out in the blistering winds and the piling snow to look for Derek to check on him, only to fall victim to Krampus firsthand. If only she could more sensitive and appreciative and not complain about things not going her way, then she wouldn't be here.

In hindsight, Omi knew that someday Krampus would take her away and now that it has, she sat in self-remorse. She could still remember the horrified screams of her family when the goat demon whisked them away that one dreaded Christmas. The shadows of the laughing gingerbread men and the rattle of chains still fresh on her mind, haunting her, taunting her, making her wish she had a chance to take it all back if she could. But now it's happened all over again and her new family had to pay the price. Somewhere in the elderly woman's mind, she felt glad that her family was taken away since they basically deserved it for losing their Christmas spirit, but they were still her family.

Stevie and Jordan were feeling the worst of them all. Stevie felt like she was responsible for their predicament. After all, she and Jordan were the ones who stole his letter and read it out loud to everyone at the table to add insult to injury after taunting Max's belief in Santa Claus by impulsively telling him a horrendous and obnoxious tale about how he crashed his sleigh and ate his reindeer to survive. It was their abusive bullying that drove poor Max over the edge and finally give up on Christmas and if it weren't for them, none of this would've happened. That graphic tale about Santa wasn't the only offense they made against Max. There was the time when they plunged his face into his birthday cake on his 8th birthday among other things that would be better left unsaid.

"What's the matter, Stevie?" asked Linda, putting her arms around her.

"I feel like this is all my fault. Me and Jordan should've known better than to make fun of Max. Are we really bad cousins?"

"Well, I'm not gonna lie, it was very unacceptable and so not okay." Linda answered, giving her daughter a stern gaze, which soon softened up. "But honestly, we're all to blame for this."

"Still I pretty deserved to be in here, locked away from the outside world and my uncle's house." said Stevie, still down in the dumps.

"We're gonna make it through this, Tom." Sarah assured her husband.

"How?" He asked, unconvinced. "How are we gonna get through this? Our only son is probably out there on his own, lost, cold and alone. I should've been a better father. I suck as a parent."

"Tom, don't say that. You don't know that." replied Sarah strictly with her best firm reassurance. "So what if he got into fights before like at the mall. He's young, Tom. All kids will be like that. He's still our baby boy."

Suddenly, the foundation of the house shook violently as everyone shot up from where they sat to look up at the ceiling, wondering what the commotion was about on the roof. To no surprise, Omi knew exactly what this was. The quaking vibration ceased abruptly and there was a solid silence now which was then broken by the sound of footsteps on the roof. From out of the chimney, soot fell onto the firewood and then smoke. Krampus arose out of the fireplace and stared at the family inside the house all around.

"Are we enjoying the accommodations so far?" asked the yuletide demon with a sinister cackle.

"You!" Tom screamed in anger and ran toward Krampus to attack and try to force him to free them, but Krampus swiped at him with his chain, sending him falling on his back on the ground painfully. Howard joined in by jumping on Krampus's back, griping his horns and punching him on the head. The demon twirled around, knocking off him and flying into the wall. Linda rushed to his aid.

"Enough! I'm not here to fight." Krampus roared in annoyance. "You're all here for a reason."

"Listen here, you bastard!" thundered Sarah in the demon's face. "If you don't set us free and give me my son back right now, I will break your horns off!"

But Krampus was unfazed and somewhat amused by her intimidating threat as he laughed at her face.

"And why would I want to do that?" He asked.

"We need him as much as he needs us." Tom said, standing up.

"He doesn't need you." Krampus hissed. "Max only wanted Christmas to be gone as well as his family. And who am I to be surprised? What do you expect from living in a large family of ingrates and incompetent meatheads."

"Incompetent?!" shouted Howard before wincing in pain. "Who are you to judge us?"

"I am Krampus, you fool." raged Krampus, startling the middle-aged hunter. "I discipline the naughty and give them the only they truly deserve. Brutal punishment. You all got yourselves into this and here, I make the rules. I make the choices."

" _Bitte, meine Familie weiß es einfach nicht besser. Bestrafe sie nicht dafür._ " pleaded Omi, but the Christmas demon gave her a snort in response.

"Look, pal." Stevie began, bravely standing up to face him. "If you want to punish someone, punish me. I'm the one who deserves it. And I admit that now, it was wrong and stupid of me to make fun of Max and all that other stuff I did just to entertain myself and Jordan. I had no right, okay? No right."

"Stephanie Hilton." Krampus replied, catching her surprise before stomping over to him on his hoofed feet. "You are guilty of many things. I quite understand that you are brave, strong, tough, independent, but you are also impudent, arrogant, insensitive, egotistical, selfish, have no regard for anyone's feelings and very, very stupid. You were probably upset that your favorite team lost their win, but that's no excuse to take it out on your cousin. You may have had a different reason for that, but it really doesn't matter. The point is for you to just let it go and learn humility. If you really care about your family, you'd think about your actions and understand the consequences before I dragged you here."

Stevie lowered her eyes to the floor and she knew on the inside that Krampus had a point. With that being said, Krampus was suddenly gone from their view within seconds. Everyone's heads darted around looking for him and Tom found him standing inside of his lair, having grown back to his original size, looking down at them.

"Think about that. All of you." He ordered before turning away and walking out of sight, leaving them in their snow globe prison.

* * *

The next morning, the group had woken up and collected their things to prepare for the rest of their journey. Max got enough sleep despite last night's altercation with Sariatu's sisters. Everyone walked out of the cave before Jack stopped and wondered something important.

"What about your cave? What if somebody comes in and steals your things and whatnot?" asked Jack.

"I wouldn't worry about that. But just in case..." Sariatu strummed her shamisen, casting her magic to form a wall over the mouth of the cave, masking it from view as if it was never there. "There. That should do the trick."

The group hiked down the mountain and toward the village full of lively people going about their business, not a care in the world. When they had gotten through and approached the red _torii_ gate, Maui's attention focused on the sea the Sariatu's cave faced outward.

"So, uh, how are we gonna get a boat if we're get across the ocean?" Maui asked, gesturing to the Pacific Ocean out past the mountain.

"Too high profile." Sariatu declared. "We need to blend in for a while before we can sail the ocean."

"Wha-Oh, come on! I've been away from the ocean long enough! I need to be there!" Maui whined and ranted like a child.

"Shut up, mate!" Bunny barked back, silencing him. "You heard Sariatu."

"Thank you, Bunny." smiled Sariatu.

"So what exactly is the plan?" asked Bunny, twirling a boomerang around with his paw.

"We'll just make our way across the country and try to sail the ocean from there. Because there's clearly too much ocean to get across if we sail from there." Sariatu explained, pointing to the ocean outside her residence, which was not the best, suitable option right now.

"We're going to the other side of Japan?" Max asked. "That could take days."

"Not if we keep moving." Sariatu reminded him.

And on they went, hiking through the vast woods and tree-covered landscapes. It was tough for all of them to keep. They had to stop for breathers every so often like they were hiking on a mountain trail. There was no way they were gonna get to the other side of Japan fast enough on foot. But dark clouds started to cover the sky and block out the sun and heavy rainfall came with it. When it seemed hopeless, a luminescent ray of light gleamed in the distance. It was evident they were getting closer to human civilization. The group trekked over as fast as their legs could carry and found themselves, to their immediate bewilderment and confusion, standing in a bright and extravagant city with jumbo-trons there and there showing various advertisements in Japanese; a video of what looks like an anime television show from a TV store and an full crowd of Japanese folk; punk teenagers texting or talking on their phones, businessmen getting off the bus and everything. Sariatu hasn't been anywhere outside of her cave beside at the village so all of this was new to her to so many possible ways.

"What is this place?" She asked with a breathy voice of wonder.

"It appears to be Tokyo." Bunny answered.

"Tokie-what?" asked Sariatu, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, not following him.

"It's the capital city of Japan." said Max, checking the city out. "I've seen too many photos on the internet and postcards to not recognize it."

"I've really been in my cave longer than I thought." Sariatu muttered, rubbing her forehead.

"This is so cool!" chirped Mavis with enjoyment. "I've heard so much of this place! The food, the technology, the anime, the manga, the martial arts."

"This can't get any worse. Now I'm surrounded by a bunch of foreigners in a giant mortal city." complained Maui. "How far have we gotten?"

"Well, let's see." Sariatu pulled out an old map of Japan. There were no words on it to show the cities and prefectures and counties, just a red circle painted around a certain area, which she pointed to. "See that? That right there? That circle? That's where my cave is."

Max pulled out his phone and looked up a real map of Japan and revealed to them. The spot where her cave was is located in the Chiba Prefecture, which was right next to Tokyo.

"We only hiked one mile?! Oh my god!" Bunny complained. "I'm sorry, but we're never gonna reach the other side of Japan at this rate. At least not on foot."

"Why don't we just use your tunnels?" suggested Jack.

"I told you I have to know the exact spot where I'm going to. I need a name for it." Bunny explained agitated.

"Okay, smart guy." Maui said with a look of challenge of his face, placing his hands on his hips. "What do you suggest we do?"

Bunny looked all around to look for a way to get around quicker without have to over-exercise themselves. The first thing that came to mind was the vehicles all around. Bunny knew this probably wasn't going to work too well and it was gonna be a long shot. But in their time of need, it was all he could think of.

"I have a plan, but it's not gonna sound good." Bunny came up with before turning to Sariatu. "Do you know how to drive?"

Sariatu's eyes bulged with confusion when he asked this. He went over the plan with them and they had no choice but to agree to it. Looking all around for some car to use, Sariatu suggested a nice-looking car that she thought would be perfect and it had enough seats for all of them. They all crammed into the car with Maui sitting in the far back, Mavis, Jack and Max sitting in the middle and Bunny in the passenger seat up front while Sariatu was put behind the wheel.

"This is your plan?!" shrieked Mavis, having second thoughts about this.

"It was all I could think of, alright?" Bunny defended with annoyance.

"I don't know how to drive! I don't even know what it does!" Sariatu cried with fright.

"I'll guide you the rest of the way. This care is used to transport the mortals." Bunny explained.

"Okay. How do you start it?" She asked, looking around for something to start the car with.

"They mostly use keys to start it." explained Bunny, looking to see that there were no keys in the ignition or anywhere in the car. And no why would there be? "But, of course, they'd be stupid if they just left the keys in the car."

"Well, how else is it suppose to start?" shouted Sariatu.

"Try pressing that button right there that says 'Start'." Max instructed, pointing to the button that indeed read 'Start'. Vehemently, Sariatu pressed it and the car started. The needle on the gas meter was on 'E', luckily.

"Okay, good. We got enough gas." Bunny sighed with relief.

"Uh, what's that supposed to mean?" asked Sariatu, eyebrows furrowing with confusion, feeling awkward by his statement. Cleary, she was getting the wrong idea.

"These vehicles are fueled by gasoline. Without it, it wouldn't work."

"Why won't it go?!" Sariatu shrieked, wondering why it wasn't moving an inch.

"You have to make it go. It doesn't run on it's own." Bunny told her, then pointed at the lever in between them. "This handle right here sets the car to move in a different angle. Like reverse?"

To demonstrate, Bunny set the handle to 'R'.

"Now it will go backwards." Then Jack decided to take over and pointed to the petals by her feet. "See those pedals there? You press down on them with your feet. That's what makes the car move. Well, that one on the right does. You press on the one on the left to get the care to stop."

"Okay." breathed Sariatu, calming her senses.

"Now make sure to hold onto the wheel, because you have to use it to steer the car in the direction you want it to go."

"Alright, here we go." Sariatu said, building up enough confidence as she gripped the wheel and pushed down on the pedal. But she pushed it too far down, which caused the car to go reverse really fast and she ended up hitting against the front of another car that was parked behind it. Upon being unexpectedly struck in the hood, the car's burglar alarm set off and echoed loudly around the parking garage. Sariatu gasped when this happened and she quickly hid the brake in panic, taking her hands off the wheel. Everyone except her looked behind them to see the damage she had done.

"Oh my god, what did I hit?" She asked fearfully.

"Uh...there was another car behind us." Mavis said with a cringe.

"Do cars do that?" asked Maui, referring to the loud, blaring car alarm.

"Yeah." Max nodded. "That's an alarm system that all cars have. It's meant to keep carjackers from stealing them."

"Look, we can't worry about it now. Here." Bunny rearranged the throttle and set it to 'A'. "There. Now it's on accelerate. So now it will go forward."

Sariatu took hold of the wheel and pressed on the pedal again, driving at full speed out of the parking space, steering her away through the parking garage for a way to get out. She was going a little too fast, forcing everyone to hold onto something.

"Don't press the pedal down too far. You're making it go too fast and you don't want it to go too fast or else you'll crash it." Jack shouted.

"Just press on the pedal a tad bit." Bunny instructed.

She did as she was told and only had her foot on the pedal just a tiny bit, making the car go at an acceptable speed. Bunny directed her through the parking garage until they made it to the exit where the toll booth was, but the gate arm was down. However, Sariatu didn't know what it was or why it was down so she kept going. She drove right through the gate arm, breaking it right off as she did

" _ごめんなさい。_ " She cried to whoever worked at the toll booth apologetically for that mishap and drove out of the garage and into the rain where she drove it down the street, but she wasn't sure where she was supposed to drive the car on the road and just drove all around through the city, dodging cars and narrowly missing pedestrians and civilians who screamed in terror and jumped out of the way of the reckless driver.

"Okay! Easy now! You're driving like an animal!" screamed Maui in anger.

"You still think this is a good idea?!" Mavis bellowed at Bunny.

"I did say it wouldn't sound good, did I?" Bunny said back, defending himself.

"Uh, guys? Instructions?" Sariatu begged as she kept driving non-stop aimlessly through the streets, watching out for people.

"Stay inside a lane and slow down. Try to watch the speed limit. They should how fast you have to go on these streets." Bunny explained as Sariatu obeyed, but yet another mishap happened. The traffic light said red, but she didn't see it and kept driving.

"Alright. You see those devices hanging up on the wires?" asked Bunny, gesturing to the traffic lights.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"When they turn red, that means you stop." instructed Bunny.

When the traffic lights turned red, Sariatu exactly just that and slammed her foot onto the break. Unfortunately, she neglected to see the car in front of her and wound up crashing into the rear of it. The driver of said car was holding a cup of coffee at the time and the collision was so powerful, it caused him to spill the cup's hot contents all over him, making him scream in pain. Everyone, including Sariatu, stared in shock at what she just did.

"Uh..." Was all she could manage at the moment as she was completely speechless beyond decipherable words by what just happened.

The car's driver hopped out of the car, steaming in fiery anger to confront and rant at whoever just hit him and make him spill hot coffee on himself. When he noticed that the rear of his car was damaged beyond repair, he was even madder than ever. She raved and cursed at Sariatu in Japanese, making her blush out of embarrassment.

" _ああ私のクソな神！ どうしたの？！ あなたは雌だ！ あなたは、このクソの車にどれくらいの費用がかかっているか知っていますか？ あなたはちょうど私に470ドルの価値があります！ 私はこれを牽引しなければならないだろう！ もし私がこれまでにやった最後のことなら、あなたのお尻を訴えるつもりです！ 私はあなたを殺すつもりだ！ 聞こえますか？！_ "

"What is he saying?" asked Max, who didn't speak the language.

"You really don't wanna know." Sariatu warned him, growing pale at the angry man's threats and excessive string of obscenities. They needed to get out of there quick before the man called the police so Sariatu, in her moment of panic, drove the car around and away from the man, fleeing the scene. Max pulled up the Google Maps app on his phone and helped Sariatu in driving down the street calm and into the direction they needed to go. When they were far away from Tokyo within minutes or hours and out on the open road, they sighed in relief. Sariatu was also worried. Okay, so it wasn't a good start, but at least she was trying.

This is her first time driving a vehicle and she had already inadvertently caused mass hysteria with her lack of driving skills and busted the back a guy's car. She just hoped that a thing like that could be easily forgiven and forgotten. Just so long as he doesn't call the police on them or anything, not that Sariatu has any knowledge of. It would be safe to say that as long as Sariatu doesn't cause any more accidents or unexpected mayhem, they should be making quick progress. Sariatu was now driving the car steadily and properly now down the lane of the road. They should be able to reach the other side of Japan in no time.

* * *

 **AU: In case you guys are wondering, Sariatu never met and married Hanzo in this story, so Kubo doesn't exist in this timeline...yet. But that doesn't meant that she didn't turn against her corrupt and malevolent family. After thinking about the movie Barnyard, I though it would be funny to add a** **hysterical car scene where Sariatu had trouble driving the car and causing public endangerment accidentally. I plan on putting in a police car chase scene, too. But that's be added in the later chapter.**

 ** _Bitte, meine Familie weiß es einfach nicht besser. Bestrafe sie nicht dafür._ \- "Please, my family just doesn't know any better. Do not punish them for that." _  
ごめんなさい。_ \- "Sorry."** _ **  
ああ私のクソな神！ どうしたの？！ あなたは雌だ！ あなたは、このクソの車にどれくらいの費用がかかっているか知っていますか？ あなたはちょうど私に470ドルの価値があります！ 私はこれを牽引しなければならないだろう！ もし私がこれまでにやった最後のことなら、あなたのお尻を訴えるつもりです！ 私はあなたを殺すつもりだ！ 聞こえますか？！**_ **\- "Oh my fucking god! What is wrong with you?! You fucking bitch! You know how much this fucking car cost me?! You just cost me $.470 worth! I'm gonna have to have this towed! I'm gonna fucking sue your ass for this if it's the last I ever do! I'm gonna fucking kill you! You hear me?!"**

 **Be sure to PM me or review the chapter or story so far. See you guys in the future chapters. Thank you!**


	10. By Train, By Sea

They were driving on the lone stretch of road that cut across the Japanese countryside. Nightfall had come as Sariatu drove down the road with the headlights on after Bunny told her how to turn them on. An onslaught of minutes went by and most of the car's passengers had drifted off to sweet slumber. Jack rested his head against the window while Mavis was resting on him, using him as a pillow. Looks like surviving the sunlight also means that she's able to sleep at night instead of during the day. Max noticed this and wondered if they were a thing or not, but by the way she was unknowingly cuddling up to him and smiling in her sleep, it seemed to speak louder than words.

"So what are you the spirit of?" asked Bunny, breaking the silence.

"What?" asked Sariatu as she drove.

"I mean, are you the spirit of anything or associated with anything in particular?" Bunny further asked.

"I personally wouldn't say I'm a spirit of anything, but I'd say motherhood, love, music, sorcery, and childbirth." explained Sariatu.

"Got any kids?"

"Uh, no. I wish I did, though." She sighed, depressed. "And I wish I had someone to have a child with. My father always said love was a curse and nothing to be taken seriously. There was this one man that I fell in love with. Hanzo of the Beetle Clan who opposed my father's reign years ago and sent me to eradicate him. But after a moment, it became love at first sight. I felt love for the first time and saw the corruptness of my father's beliefs and sentiments. He, however, disagreed horribly and killed Hanzo on cold blood before disowning me. I've grown apart from my family ever since. But they're not my family anymore. So, no, I don't have kids."

"Why was he named the Moon King anyway?" asked Bunny.

"He ruled over the night with an iron fist, hence the name." Sariatu explained.

"Oh, so he's not from the moon at all." Bunny verified, now getting it.

"Of course not. He's not an alien." expressed Sariatu. "How about you?"

"I've told you about me already."

"But you haven't shared your full story to me yet. You know, before you became the Easter Bunny." Sariatu said.

"I'm part of a tall and intelligent race of rabbits that no longer exists. Pookas." explained Bunny. "We were known for overseeing planets and their well-being. We even, if not possible, stop time travelers from disturbing the past and interfering with the timeline."

"Time travelers?" asked Sariatu.

"Yeah, blokes who are able travel through time. You'll kinda find that sort of thing in movies and TV shows." Bunny said with a little amount of amusement in his voice.

"You mean time travel is real?" asked Max.

"That's another story, I'm afraid."

"So what did happen to the rest of you?" asked Sariatu. "Did you have a family?"

"Hard to say." shrugged Bunny. "It's not hard to tell if I had over a dozen brothers and sisters. But it is hard to remember how it all happened. All I know is they're all gone and I'm...the only one left."

Sariatu was about to say something, but was interrupted by a news bulletin on the car radio, that woke the rest of the sleeping passengers up.

" _...最も説明できないイベントでは、東京の駐車場から黄色の三菱ASXが午後に盗まれました。 車の後ろに直接踏み込む前に、カージャックの背後にある身元不明の犯人が広範囲のパニックを引き起こし、激しく危機に瀕した市民の命を奪った。 この車の運転手は車輪の背後にある泥棒をよく見ていた。 長い、まっすぐな黒い髪と黄色と赤の伝統的な服と着物を飾る女性。 男、奥田雅子は、このステートメントを作りました。_

 _'私は神に誓う、次の私はその雌犬を参照してください、私は文字通り彼女の上に私の足をラム...'_ "

Sariatu's eyes morphed into the size of dinner plates and paled with great terror, sweating with perspiration upon learning that they've found out about what she did in Tokyo and now they think that she's a criminal because of it. She quickly shut the radio off, ending the broadcast and cutting off the man's threat before it got to the grisly part. This was not good at all as she wondered about the car she was driving.

"Uh, I've been thinking. Why would someone just leave a car sitting by itself in that garage?" asked Sariatu, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"I think they left it there for a reason." Jack mentioned.

"What kind of reason?" Sariatu asked, confused.

"Uh, to give it a place to park before going to do whatever they need to do?" suggested Max. "They really couldn't have abandoned it for someone to steal it."

"Well, who's car is it then?" asked Sariatu.

Suddenly, her answer came in the form of loud sirens blaring a few feet behind them as blue and red blinking lights betrayed it as a police squad car tailing behind them, undoubtedly trying to catch them for stealing the car and causing a ruckus in the city.

"What is that? What is that?!" panicked Sariatu in a raised voice.

"Oh, man!" Max cried, the look on his face matching hers.

"It's the bloody cops!" shouted Bunny. "This cannot be good!"

" _道路の側に引っ張ってください！_ " ordered the policeman driving the squad car over the intercom system while getting nearer and nearer to them.

"They want me to pull over!" Sariatu shrieked.

"You can't pull over!" Bunny screamed, knowing that it's important to keep a low profile. "They're gonna see us! Floor it!"

"Floor what?"

"Go faster! We need to shake them!" Jack chimed in.

"But you said I don't want to go faster!"

"Well, you kinda have to now! It's the only way to lose them!"

Sariatu pressed on the pedal harder, driving even faster down the road with the police chasing close behind. The chase pursued down the road as they tried to evade the police. From the squad car, while the cop was driving, his partner in the passenger seat was filming everything on a video camera for some reason.

" _私たちがここにいるのは、たぶん、10代の少年少女が誰かの車に乗っている人、あるいは酔っている車に乗っている人かもしれません。_ " announced the speeding policeman like a documentarist or a television reporter.

"Is that a camera?" asked Jack as he could see from their own car.

"How can this get any worse?" Max whined.

Suddenly, more patrol cars joined in on the high-speed chase from other directions, giving the first police car backup.

"I had to ask." Max shook his head, feeling stupid for asking such a question.

"I told you this was a stupid idea!" Mavis screamed in anger. "Now they're gonna cut us open and shove garlic on our faces!"

"Look, I don't know or care who tells you this rubbish, but all they're gonna do it lock us up!"

Now a news chopper has joined in as well with a search light, worsening the situation. They had to lose them and fast. With a sheer sense of luck, there was a patch of forest closing in nearby and perhaps, they can hide there until they loose interest. Bunny suddenly grabbed the wheel and jerked it to the right, making the car go off the road and head down hill until it crashed into a tree. With the authorities and the media coming in fast, everyone hopped out of the car in a flash and darted into the way as the cops got out of their cars to take the chase by foot. The group ran through the trees fast, evading the police until they finally hid themselves from view, using the environment to their advantage.

When the police finally arrived on the scene, there was nothing to be found, making them believe that all this was just some wild goose chase. So they got into their cars and left, not bothering to do anything about the stolen car, though. The group were glad to be away from police, but now their choice for transportation was now destroyed. There was no way to fix it. The group pushed the car back onto the road and got a good look of it. They all stood before it, eyeing the smashed hood of the car with disappointment.

"If this were an actual driving test, I would say you've failed miserably." Bunny told Sariatu who glared at him.

"Perfect." Jack grumbled. "Now what?"

"I don't know. But there's no way we're gonna use it now." Max said, before checking his phone to see where they were currently at now. "We're somewhere near Nishioboshi."

Bunny checked his phone and sighed with annoyance.

"Great, we're nowhere close to the other side of Japan and we're stuck out here. Now we got no car, no nothing."

"We got the snow globes." Max replied, gesturing to the sack he had.

"We can't risk wasting them, Max." Jack reminded him.

"Well, it was your idea to drive that car." said Sariatu, pointing at Bunny. "And you're the one you made it crash into the tree. I told you I've never driven a car before and now look what's happened."

"Oh, that's right. You wanted to waste time walking to the other side, is that it?" snapped Bunny.

"Don't bullshit me!" Sariatu snarled. "I didn't know we stole that car and the police wouldn't be after us! I can't even show my face around my own country anymore! I'm pretty much a fugitive!"

"My father warned me I'd be in situations like this if I ever left the hotel. I should've listened." Mavis muttered, voicing her own concerns.

"You're the one that wanted to come with us so desperately." Maui said facetiously. "I'm not even close to the ocean at this point."

The tension between them got worse and everyone started to argue amongst them, yelling at each there and blaming one another for their predicament. Max took a step back, growing frightened by their tongue-lashing session. Jack had grown fed up with the argument as he slammed the butt of his staff on the ground, creating a strong, current of cold wind that silenced them all.

"Enough, already!" Jack yelled, scolding them. "Look, I know it looks bad, but we're not gonna get any faster by blaming each other. We have to keep moving. We need each other just as Max needs us as a whole."

They all knew he had a point and calmed their animosity before they walked down the street away from the destroyed car. When they had gotten far enough, the silent air around the area was abruptly destroyed by the sound of an explosion. Everyone jumped and turned around to see a right, burning inferno that was once the car they were driving. Apparently, the damage was proven too much for the vehicle, causing it to explode. The group stared in shock at the firey wreckage.

"Okay, that was awesome." breathed Max.

"Glad we weren't in it." Mavis remarked matter-of-factly.

Going a mile or two, the group found themselves stumbling upon another town up ahead and decided to rest there for the night. They found an abandoned building as the first thing. It wasn't much, but it would have to do for the time being. That night, Max suddenly woke up find that he was the only one in the building and it was still black as night. A sudden chill filled the room and he suddenly saw his parents standing there before him, untouched and unharmed, safe and sound.

"Mom? Dad?" Max peeped with confusion and an ounce of glee.

"Max!" They both cried in unison.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Max said as he ran up to hug them both in a tight embrace while they hugged him back.

"As are we, Max." Sarah said soothingly.

"I'm so sorry I got you all into this." Max apologized as a tear threatened to run down his cheek.

"Don't blame yourself, buddy. We're not too far away." Tom reassured, brushing his son's hair.

"I promise I'll find you and set you free!" swore Max with anxiety.

"We know you will. Now you need to wake up." said Sarah.

"W-What?" Max asked, confused by this request.

"Wake up."

"Mom. Dad. Pleas-"

"Wake up!"

"I need you guys...!"

"WAKE UP!" They both screamed as their voices turned distorted and their faces became disfigured and demonic with yellow eyes and sharp teeth, scaring the wits out of Max until he suddenly felt himself being shook. Everything faded and melted away until he saw Jack in front of him, shaking him awake.

"Max, wake up! It's time to get going!" Jack urged.

The boy was wide awake now and he jerked his head around in all directions and breathed a relieved sigh, knowing that it was all a nightmare. Everyone got up and left the old, derelict foundation to continue on to the other side of the country.

"What were you dreaming about, Max?" asked Sariatu curiously.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter." He answered shortly.

"Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it?" Mavis asked, also wanting to know.

"Yes."

"Why not?" asked Mavis.

"Don't pry, you guys. It isn't polite." Jack scolded them, making them back off and mind their own business.

"So how else are we gonna get to the other side in time?" asked Bunny.

Jack's mind wondered as he tried to come up with a solution. Hopefully one better than driving a car and running into trouble and causing accidents. But it was then that he noticed the train station nearby which lit his lightbulb.

"A bullet train! Let's try that!" He chirped, pointing at the station.

"A what? A bullet train?" asked Mavis.

"Yeah, it's a transportation vehicle that will get you places faster." answered Jack.

"Do I have to drive it?" Sariatu said out of fear, not wanting to drive another car again.

"No, they have conductors to run the train for you."

"Oh, good. But, wait, the car accident! They'll see me!" Sariatu realized, remembering that they think she's a criminal now after unknowingly stealing the car.

Maui picked up a black robe from near a dumpster and placed it over Sariatu's shoulders, covering the telltale robes she usually wore.

"That should help." He said.

"Thanks, Maui." She thanked him sarcastically.

"Let's get going now!" Bunny pipped as he and Jack sped towards the station with the rest of the group tailing close behind. The Shinkansen station was full of people and everything was written in the language that only Sariatu could understand. But there were some words in English for the English-speaking visitors.

"My, this is a big place." marveled Maui looking all around before noticing a woman sitting at a bench on her phone in boredom. What caught his eyes was her bright pink hair. "Uh, do humans around here grow hair like that?"

"She just colored her hair that way. It's a common thing around here." Jack told him and found a map of the Shinkansen train network. "Here we are! We just gotta pick the right one."

Sariatu stepped forward to read the map. Following the lines on the map with her finger, she tried to find the one that would take them to the other side. As she read the words in incoherent mutters, her finger landed on Kanazawa, which was right near the sea.

"Kanazawa. Perfect! It'll have to do! Let's go!" Sariatu cried and took hold of Max's hand, running off with him to find the train scheduled to ride there. The rest followed in tow and after reading the train schedules until they found it, Jack insisted that they buy a ticket first or else they won't let them on. Of course, being a winter spirit, he had been everywhere all over the globe when brining winter so he was more experienced with everything there is to know. Jack guided Max in buying a ticket for the Shinkansen and they waited for the train to arrive. And when it did, the gang, along with other civilians waiting for it, hopped aboard the cabin and sat in their seats.

The gang sat in the back of the cabin away from the humans just as the bullet train sped off out of sight from the station. Living up to it's name, the train traveled across it's tracks going faster than the speed of light. Everyone grabbed hold of something should they go falling to the floor. Sariatu felt nervous about the whole ordeal and nearly got sick. Finally, the train made it to it's destination and the passengers all got off, including the gang.

"The world's really changed a whole lot." exclaimed Sariatu.

"I know that." Maui agreed.

It took a walking distance, but they finally reached the other end of the country. Luckily, they found a boat by the dock and had it ready for sailing. Maui, on the other hand, was relieved to finally be near the ocean at last.

"Ah, it's so good to be at sea." He sighed with relaxation. "So where exactly are we sailing to?"

"To the continent on the other side of his sea." said Jack. "To find more spirits."

Bunny quietly counted the spirits there were now, including himself, before deducing, "There's only five spirits so far. It's still not enough to open the gateway. So we need just a couple more."

"This oughta be fun!" cheered Mavis.

Once they got onto the boat, they sailed it out into the sea and away from land.

"Maui, are you able to sail this?" Sariatu asked the demigod.

"Are you kidding me?! Of course I can sail this! I'm a demigod of the sea, for christ's sakes!" Maui cried haughtily as he took control of the boat and sailed it out straight forward.

"Alright, wayfinder. Start wayfinding." Jack commanded jokingly.

"Do mind if I do." Maui smirked.

They sailed through the glossy and glittering sheet of cerulean blue saltwater of the Sea of Japan, sailing gently and peacefully away from the country while Sariatu peered back to watch as her country got further and further away within the miles they sailed. When they just in the middle of the sea, Maui took the opportunity to practice mastering his hook's powers once more. With the group's help they suggested a number of different animals, such as an iguana, a stag beetle, an moray eel, a shark, a humpback whale, even the giant hawk. Maui was perfecting his shape-shifting abilities so well. He transformed back into a hawk and flew all around before turning into a whale in front of the boat, landing in the water with a giant splash, nearing drowning everyone while they shared a good laugh.

But then suddenly, storm clouds rolled in and it started to rain heavily onto the once-delicately smooth water surface. Strong currents of wind accompanied the raging thunderstorm, causing the sea to become unsteady and form large waves, taking the boat with it. Everyone got soaked as it thundered and lightning struck while the boat when up and down along with the rogue waves.

"Ocean!" Maui called out, hoping the water would obey. But for some reason, it didn't. "Ocean?! Care to stop?!"

"The ocean's not gonna listen to you, mate!" Bunny screamed.

"You guys!" Mavis pointed outward at the biggest forming rogue wave in front of them as it grew dangerously before the boat, casting a huge shadow while it looked ready to crash on top of them and send them sinking into the water below. While everyone ducked and braced for impact, Sariatu marched forward with her shamisen and with one strum of it, she send a huge blast of magic at the wave, which split it into two, allowing them safe passage through it without harm. Everyone sighed out of relief, glad to be out of that, but they soon discovered they weren't out of danger yet. For there was now an even bigger wave, many times bigger than the last one, dwarfing the group tenfold. From a different perspective, them and their boat looked like the side of a pebble compared to the monster wave.

Maui decided to take matters into his own hands this time as he dived into the ocean behind the boat and transformed into a larger-than-average blue whale before he grabbed the boat with his now-enormous mouth and held them all safety inside as he swam underwater, effortlessly dodging the huge wave before it struck the ocean's surface. He swam and swam under the water, carrying everyone on the boat inside of his mouth, holding them carefully on his tongue and made sure not to swallow them accidentally. After an hour or so, they were finally away from the storm and Maui spat them out onto the water before changing back and getting back on.

"That was weird, but impressive. Thanks for that." Jack said gratefully.

"Don't thank me, thank my hook." Maui declared proudly.

"Next time, try a breath mint or something." Bunny reminded him.

"Hey, my breath's not that bad!"

"You also got some slobber on my shoulder." Mavis said pointing to the wet stain on the shoulder of her dress.

"It'll dry up. Don't worry." Maui waved off. "But at least we're away from the storm."

"Yeah, there's that." Sariatu agreed.

* * *

 **There you have the next chapter. I though the police chase scene and the car exploding would be funny to add in this story.**

 **"...最も説明できないイベントでは、東京の駐車場から黄色の三菱ASXが午後に盗まれました。 車の後ろに直接踏み込む前に、カージャックの背後にある身元不明の犯人が広範囲のパニックを引き起こし、激しく危機に瀕した市民の命を奪った。 この車の運転手は車輪の背後にある泥棒をよく見ていた。 長い、まっすぐな黒い髪と黄色と赤の伝統的な服と着物を飾る女性。 男、奥田雅子は、このステートメントを作りました。**

 **'私は神に誓う、次の私はその雌犬を参照してください、私は文字通り彼女の上に私の足をラム..." - "... In the most unexplainable event, yellow Mitsubishi ASX was stolen from the parking lot in Tokyo in the afternoon. Before stepping directly behind the car, an unidentified culprit behind carjack provoked a wide panic and robbed the victims of violently crisised citizens. The driver of this car was closely watching the thief behind the wheel. A woman adorning long, straight black hair and yellow and red traditional clothes and kimono. Men, Makiko Okuda, made this statement.**

 **'I swear to God, the next I see that bitch, I literally ram my foot up her...'"**

 **"道路の側に引っ張ってください！" - "Pull over to the side of the road!"**  
 **"私たちがここにいるのは、たぶん、10代の少年少女が誰かの車に乗っている人、あるいは酔っている車に乗っている人かもしれません。" - "What we got here is probably some teenage delinquents taking a joyride or maybe a drunken carjacker."**

 **Sorry if the translation is a little off. I had to use Google Translate. We shall get to the next chapter momentarily. In the meantime, do enjoy some of my other stories. Thank you!**


	11. No Blossom Without Sunshine

Everyone had passed out, except Maui who was steering the boat using his wayfinding expertise, putting it to good use. Since wayfinders never sleep until they reach where they need to be, he hasn't slept once. Not a single wink. When morning came and the welcoming glow of the sun was slowly arising over the clouds in the distance, a light sea fog seeped around the area like a soft blanket covering a mattress. Maui could see far ahead of him that there was land not too far away.

"Wake up! Everyone, get up! We're near land!" Maui announced proudly to the group, jolting them all awake.

"Nice!" Mavis said groggily with a yawn.

Sariatu held her arms around Max, letting her inner maternal instincts get the better of her. Maui rowed the boat closer and closer to land. It was getting difficult to see, but with the morning sun rising up fast, the sight before them all became more clearer. The fog diminished and now they could see the lush, green group of mountains not to far away. It took only an hour for them to actually make it onto land. Maui docked the boat onto the shore and everyone got off to have a look at the new area they had arrived in.

"Wow!" Mavis exclaimed as big, bright blue eyes gazed onto the mountainous region.

"This is quite extravagant." Sariatu marveled along with her.

"Where are we?" asked Bunny.

Max checked his phone and said, "We're in North Korea. Are there any spirits here?"

"I'm not sure. We've never met any spirit here." shrugged Jack, looking everywhere.

"Should we try some other place?" Max asked.

"Can I see those snow globes?" asked Mavis with excitement as she was handed the sack of globes by Max.

"Be careful with them now. It's a limited source of transportation." Jack reminded her.

"I'll be careful. Trust me. I know a lot of different countries. I read about them in geography books and fashion magazines." Mavis reminded him with a sense of determination before taking a globe out to try it out. She thought hard about where they should go next. Then she said into it...

"Mongolia." Before tossing it on the ground. Everyone went through the portal and landed in the sum of Delgerkaan in the Töv Province of Mongolia surrounded by a vast expanse of dry and hot deserts of sand with the sun cooking the land up like a fried egg on a pan. There were chance of finding any spirits here so they tried a different country. They teleported to the Zamoskvorechye District of Moscow, Russia. Jack recognized this country as he remembered bringing winter to this place before many times. Like that time he sent trails of slippery ice throughout the streets. He also remembered North telling him that Russia was the place he was born when he was human. North used to be a cossack in his time and fought in wars.

But there was still no way they could find anyone there in time. So they travelled to Si Lanna National Park located in Thailand. After long minutes of hiking, they came to the decision that it was a lost cause. Arriving in the Hoa Lư District of the Ninh Bình Province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam, there was one such spirit. An ancient dragon spirit that guarded the Tam Cốc-Bích Động caves. Unfortunately, he had a really nasty temper and didn't trust outsiders as easily. And he was unwilling to leave the caves, so he drove them away. Since that was a no-show, they tried Turkmenistan next. There was a shapeshifting woodland spirit named Archura who protected the trees and it's animals. But he refused.

Next up was the city of Xankəndi, Azerbaijan. Not a single spirit to be found. The next country was Iran. The place they landed in was Mohammadabad-e Kuzeh Gaz and they were standing in more deserts. There certainly wasn't a lot to be discovered there to fit their satisfaction. In fact, one of the camels tried to chase after Bunny. They were lucky enough to get out of there before the rest of them joined in and started a stampede of some kind. The next globe send them to a town in the Jiangsu Province of East China called Sinuiseong. Bunny suddenly realized they needed to stop using up all of the snow globes before they run out.

"Alright, that's enough! We can't keep wasting these snow globes. We won't have any left!" Bunny barked, snatching the sack away from Mavis, who pouted and glared at the Pooka.

"Sorry!" Mavis shouted back, annoyed by his sudden domineering attitude.

"Looks like we're in China." said Max as peered at the buildings all around them.

The group walked down through the streets of the town. Most folks were giving them odd looks. Well, Jack and Bunny were invisible to them, but only to the children who told their parents about it, but they couldn't see them. Everyone went behind a dumpster in an alleyway to talk about what to do next while Max noticed a shop next door.

"Hey!" cried a young Chinese girl around Max's age who had black hair tied into a single ponytail that rested on the left side of her head held together with a scrunchie. "Would you care to have some of our famous wonton soup?"

"Uh, you speak English?" asked Max.

"Of course, I do." nodded the girl giddily. "I speak Chinese too. But everyone's got to learn the English language sooner or later, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Max agreed, feeling strange, though at the same time, nervous since there was something about this girl that made his heart pump faster like a drum and it brought a red hue to his cheeks.

"Are you new around here?" The girl asked. "I'm Raindrop, by the way. But my friends call me "Rain"."

"I'm Max."

"Pardon me for asking, but you're American, correct?" Rain asked, hoping she wasn't being too offensive or racist in any way.

"Yes, I am." Max said with a simple nod.

"Okay, then. Care to come in? We make the best wonton soup around!" Rain offered, gleefully grabbing Max's hand and pulling him into the shop at the split second Sariatu took notice before she rushed over, hoping that he wasn't being kidnapped or anything; going into mother bear mode. But the group saw that he pulled into a wonton shop and Rain let go of his hand to introduce him to her mother behind the counter.

"Hey, mom!" Rain cheered.

"Hey, Rain." Her mother, Luli, greeted with a smile before laying her eyes on the nervous Max. "Who's this? You're new friend?"

"Um, no. We actually just met. He's here for-"

Her sentence never got out when Sariatu marched in and held Max by his shoulders protectively with Maui, Mavis, Bunny and Jack joining her. Of course, all Luli could see was her, Mavis and Maui.

"Are you okay, Max?" She asked worriedly to the boy.

"I'm fine." He told her in a slight tone that reminded her to stay calm.

"Are you the boy's mother?" asked Luli.

"Uh...well, I...yes! Of course I am!" stammered Sariatu with a quick, panicky lie, not wanting to give away their true objective. "This is my little baby boy, Max. He gets his looks from his father. We're here on a family vacation. This is eldest daughter, Mavis and my...brother, Maui. Half-brother, actually."

"I beg yo-"

Sariatu elbowed him sharply in his ribs, cutting off his protesting words before they got through his lips and forcing him to play along.

"It's nice to meet you." Maui said with an exaggerated, ear-to-ear grin.

"Hi." Luli greeted politely before curiously settling her wondering eyes on Sariatu's clothes. "I see you have a taste for the Feudal times."

"Why, yes. It's been a family tradition for years." Sariatu explained as calm as she could.

"I see. Well, would you all care for some wonton soup?" asked Luli.

"Ask her how much." Jack told Sariatu and she complied.

"How much?"

"Only a couple dollars. It's not that expensive." Luli answered.

Sariatu paused and put a finger to her lips in deep thought. She never planned on paying anything with money.

"Here's the thing. We act-"

There was the sound of tons of coins hitting the counter. There was a pile of different coins laying in front of Luli that Maui placed there. While the group stared at him with confusion, Luli was beyond baffled by this overuse of currency.

"Oh...well, that's quite a lot of money. But all you really had to pay $25.00." Luli explained picking up the correct amount of coins and ringed them up at the cash register.

Jack pulled Maui back just a few paces and gave him a strict look.

"Alright, you. Come clean." He ordered softly.

"Back at Russia, some guy playing an instrument in the street was giving away a bucket full of them."

"And you just took them?" Jack asked with a bemused expression.

"Yeah."

"That man was panhandling. Performing for the crowd to earn money from them." Jack explained.

"You mean I stole it?" asked Maui, bewildered.

"Pretty sure." Bunny crossed his arms with his usual stubborn face.

Luli gave them all bowls of wonton soup and everyone sat at the tables to eat. They were all amazed by how great it was, never having tasting a sweet and tangy delicacy before in their mortal lives. Max loved it more than ever. Rain sat next with him at his table, suddenly desperate to start a friendly conversation with him.

"So where are you guys from?" She asked.

"Uh, a place called West Rivers, Vermont." Max explained. "My big sister likes to listen to heavy metal rock bands. She's...a goth as you can see. But she doesn't like being in the sunlight. Well, she used to. My, um, mom prefers the old over the new and my uncle, Maui, well. Should I really say more?"

"Your family is weird. Not in a bad way, I mean." Rain said honestly.

"Yeah, we're very different from the rest."

"So where are you staying at?" Luli asked him next while carrying used dishes she collected from a table after the customers sitting there had departed after eating.

"We haven't found a hotel anywhere." Max explained timidly.

"Goodness! That reminds me. Every hotel in town is overbooked. They're all full up." Luli said with shock.

"What?" Sariatu asked, taken aback. "But where will we sleep for the night?"

"You could stay with us for the night." Luli offered kindly.

"Wuh? Really?" asked Sariatu.

"Sure." nodded Luli. "We have a couple bedrooms upstairs. I'm sorry if they won't seem like much, but I'm sure it'll suit your needs."

"Oh, why, thanks for the hospitality." Sariatu thanked her appreciatively.

"Oh, it's no biggie. You're our guests and guests need the proper care."

When nightfall came and everyone was asleep in their beds, Rain got suspicious about what Max and his "family" were really around for. She snuck into Max's room and shook him awake.

"Max, wake up." She whispered.

Max stirred in his sleep before being pulled from his dreams, fluttering his eyes under he could see Rain at his side.

"Rain? What are you doing in here?" He groggily asked.

"Something's been bugging me." She responded, sitting on the bed.

"What?" He asked before Rain got serious real fast.

"What are you and your family really doing here?" She said in a low demanding voice. "And are they even your family? Does your mother always dress in traditional Japanese clothes? Is your uncle really big, strong, covered in tattoos and always wears a leaf skirt? I'm pretty sure those fangs your so-called big sister has aren't normal and she didn't have a reflection in the window or in the mirror. Not only that, but there was an older, white-haired boy in a blue, frosted hoodie and a giant talking rabbit that neither of you introduced. What gives?"

It clicked in Max's mind that she knows that he's hiding something from her and sighed, knowing that she had seen too much for her to believe any more lies.

"My real family was taken." He confessed.

"Taken?" Rain gasped. "By who?"

"Krampus." He spat the name out with venom.

"Who?"

"Krampus." repeated Max, looking her in the eye this time. "He's the dark and sinister opposite of Santa Claus. Every year on Christmas, he comes around to punish the naughty children and drag them away to the Underworld. Days ago during Christmas, a huge snowstorm came in out of nowhere and Krampus and his helpers picked off my family one by one, taking them away to his lair. He left only me behind and gave me this..." He presented to her his bauble. "...as a reminder of what happens when the Christmas spirit dies."

"That's terrible!" Rain exclaimed with sympathy. "What has your family done that was naughty?"

"My family is hardly idyllic." Max explained, feeling almost sick thinking about their antics. "My older sister hardly cares about me, my uncle and his family are rough meatheads, including my cousins, Stevie and Jordan. My aunt Dorothy is always complaining about everyday stuff that she can't handle. First world problems, you know? During a Christmas dinner, Stevie stole my letter to Santa and read it out loud to everyone. I...I just lost it. I attacked her for it and I figured that with them, Christmas will never be like it used to be. That's what brought Krampus to my neighborhood. That's why I'm here now. To save them. To undo my mistake."

"Oh, Max." Rain cooed comfortingly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I just want to make things right." He sighed.

Then Rain put her arms around him and hugged him tightly, making him blush harder now. She let go of him and brushed her hair back.

"I have a little secret of my own." Rain admitted lowly. "I'm no stranger to spirits and myths. Ever heard of Door Guardians?"

"No." He said.

"They're powerful spirits that protect and watch over your home if you put up a poster of them." She explained. "My grandma, the previous owner of the shop, believed in them, which is why she had posters on the front doors. Posters of the Guardian Brothers, Yu Lei and Shan Tu. I've met them for myself one time and others too."

"I see. We're trying to find a way to Krampus's lair in the Underworld. But to do that, I need at least a couple of spirits to help up the gateway to Father Time's realm." said Max seriously. "Right now, there isn't enough of them. We just need a couple more."

"I know someone who could lend a hand." replied Rain with a smile.

* * *

The next morning, after everyone got up bright and early, Rain offered to take them out to explore the town as she had told her mother. But in actuality, she was leading them to where she knew a spirit lived. It was but an hour and a half hike towards a snowy field of cherry blossom trees.

"So this spirit is like a blossom fairy of sorts." Rain explained. "She guards one of these seals that keep a monster from awakening."

"I've faced giant, scary monsters before, kid." boasted Maui with pride. "What's so scary about this one?"

"The Nian is a powerful dragon spirit that destroys anything in it's path." explain Rain.

"Oh, I see." Sariatu nodded, understanding. "Do you know her name?"

"I honestly don't know, but I like to call her the Blossom Fairy for obvious reasons." Rain giggled.

"Do you and her get along?" asked Max.

"Oh, yes. We're practically sisters. Though, I kinda see her as an aunt figure. I share everything with her." Rain said, giving Max a friendly smile, which Max returned with a blush. Rain blushed too and the group took notice of this. Sariatu held a smug smirk on her face as she knew this meant the two were undeniably crushing on each other.

"Our little Max is growing up." She whispered to Jack teasingly in such a manner that a mother would to her child when he's finally dating.

Their path brought them to a wide clearing in the snow-covered field and in the middle of that clearing was a large, round stone with a long, sharp point through it seemingly pointing up to the sky. The marvelous, eye-appealing, curved stone structure and the hard stone platform it rested upon were untouched by the snow around them. Rain brought them down the stone pathway that led right to the small unknown monument.

"This is the place." said Rain, gesturing to the area around them.

"This is it?" asked Maui.

"Yeah." Rain nodded. "She keeps an eye out around here."

Suddenly, an unexpected breeze introduced itself out of nowhere and groups of blossom petals flew in and merged together, twirling and swirling this way and there until they formed into a young woman that perched on the tip of the spike on the stone. The woman was beautiful with irresistible youthful features and long, straight, silky black hair. She had on pink and magenta eyeshadow, eyebrows in the shape of petals, a red and pink-colored dress with see-through sleeves and looked like an upside down rose which revealed that she had curves in all the correct places. The dress reached the bottom of her bare feet and surrounded by floating blossom petals in suspended animation. And on her head is what could only be described as a crown of some design with a large rose on it.

" _你已經進入了一個禁區。_ " announced the flower lady in a strict, authoritative tone to let the "intruders" trespassing on her land know who's in charge. " _你必須立即離開。_ "

"What is she saying, Sariatu?" asked Mavis.

"I don't know. She's speaking Chinese. I only know Japanese and English." said Sariatu.

"She said we're in a restricted area and that we should leave." Rain translated for her.

"Wait." chirped the flower lady in fluent English with curious brown eyes once she noticed Rain there with them. "Is that you, Rain?"

"Hi, Miss Blossom." Rain waved giddily at seeing her good friend. "I've brought people who could really use your help."

The flower woman eyed the group blankly before turning into a flock of petals which floated to the stone platform before materializing into herself again to have a closer look at her visitors.

"My help? If anyone needs my help, then it must be very interesting. Either that or they just want to see me in person." She remarked before remembering her formalities and bowed gracefully. "Oh, forgive me! I am Hua Xian, the Rose Queen. But everyone calls me 'Bloom'. I let Rain call me Miss Blossom, because that's what she addressed me as when we first met."

"Yeah." Rain nodded in agreement. "She never tells me her real name until now. I should probably go now before my mom gets worried. Bye, Max! Bye, Miss Blossom!"

The bright and spirited young girl ran down the path she brought the group in and disappeared from sight back to her family's wonton shop.

"She's quite a stinker." giggled Bloom before getting serious and turning to the group. "Now what exactly do need my help with?"

Jack stepped forward and reminded her, "We need a group of spirits like you to help us open a gateway to the realm of Father Time. It's really important."

"Wait, you want me to come with you?" Bloom asked incredulously. "But I can't just leave!"

"Why not?" asked Sariatu.

"Well, for starters,..." Bloom flew to one side of the stone in blossom petals form before taking human shape again. "...I was given the most imperative task to guard this seal at all costs. These seals keep the Nian from remerging into the flesh-and-bone world. If I let this one break, I could...lose my job!" She teleported to another side of the seal with an indifferent look on her face. "...And then I'm gonna be mad!"

"Hold on a minute. I'm lost here." Maui chuckled with a face-palm. "You were given a job? Since when do spirits have jobs?"

"It's complicated, okay?!" Bloom hissed at him.

By then, Sariatu sighed at the flower lady's workaholic persistence and approached her to give her a warm pep talk.

"Look, Bloom. We're not here to try and get you fired or anything, but we could really need you. Max's family was taken away by a demon and we have to help him."

"Really?" asked Bloom, surprised.

"Yes." Bunny confirmed, stepping forward next to Sariatu. "It's nice to help someone in need."

"But what if-?"

"You're a spirit. What you do comes from your heart and soul." Jack explained.

"I...I don't know. It's gonna be hard being unemployed." whimpered Bloom with concern of what will happen to her if she gets fired. Although she wasn't given enough time to think it over for suddenly, the distant, growing sound of horse whinnies echoes from all around them. Jack grew pale with fright, knowing what this was, but he had to stay brave and strong. Bunny pulled out his boomerangs and everyone looked all around to see that they were surrounded by a myriad of Nightmares in the area. Bloom gasped in fear when she saw them.

"Stay calm, sheila. They can smell fear." Bunny warned her.

"What are they?" asked Bloom in a hushed whisper.

"Nightmares." Jack said, giving them all a game face as he held his staff in stance and ready to fight.

But they could already smell Bloom's fear from a mile away and that's what sent them all at them. The Nightmares all full-on charged at everyone, ready to attack, but the group, together as a team, all fought back with their weapons and their powerful abilities. Jack blasted some with a shot of his ice magic from his staff, Bunny tossed his boomerangs and egg-sploders, Mavis had her shape-shifting powers on her side along with her strength, speed and telekinesis, Sariatu strummed her magical guitar, hitting Nightmares with her mystic waves and Maui was striking his hook around at the Nightmares and turning into many animals strong enough to overpower any enemy.

Soon, Bloom's fear was long forgotten and replaced with her desire to defend the seal from breaking before she summoned up all her own magic, summoning a full shower of blossom petals from all directions to form them into a glowing shape of a rose before she fired a mighty jet of petals at the Nightmares, destroying them all one-by-one until there was none of them left. Everyone stopped their fighting to see the battle was won by them.

"That was impressive." Max replied to Bloom.

"Thanks." She smiled at the compliment.

"Glad that's over." Bunny panted, looking around to see no more Nightmares. Unfortunately, that was until they heard more whinnies and saw many more of them approaching fast in the distance. "Oh, no. I spoke too soon."

Jack grabbed hold of Max and everyone, Bloom included, formed a protective circle around Max to defend him from the Boogeyman's army of fear and darkness. As the Nightmares closed in on them, everyone took another battle stance, but then suddenly, roots and vines grew out of the ground and covered them all up, shielding them away from the outside world and the quickly-approaching Nightmare army. Then the group found themselves disappearing down a deep dark hole and the shield of vegetation shrunk back into the ground to reveal they were now gone, leaving the Nightmares shocked and dumbfounded. Where could they have gone?

* * *

 **And so there's the new chapter. Thank you all for your amazing patience. I really enjoy writing this for you guys. See you all in the next chapters!**


	12. Nature Finds A Way

Raiden the Moon King sat in his sacred realm in perfect peace and quiet, sitting cross-legged on the ground, meditating silently while a mist floated around the area. It's been years since his eldest daughter defected against him and his reign over the heavens and the earth and he's hasn't been different ever since. He has grown to despise the human race even more with a fiery passion. Although, the silence around him was so eerily still and inaudible, he sensed a presence he is not familiar with in his realm with him.

"I know you're there." He called out.

"Of course you do." said Pitch with a playful tease.

Upon hearing the echoey voice of the Boogeyman, Raiden immediately shot up from his meditating position on the ground and zipped around to face Pitch standing inside of his private realm uninvited.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my realm?" demanded the Moon King angrily.

"I'm Pitch Black the Boogeyman. You may not have heard of me, but I strive fear in the hearts of the children across the world." Pitch answered, inching just a bit closer. "I presume you are the legendary Moon King from the Feudal times."

"Quite perplexing how you know so much about me and my past." Raiden remarked. "Why are you here?"

"I have a slight dilemma on my hands at the moment as we speak. A young American boy, Max Engel, is journeying relentlessly to rescue his family from the dreaded clutches of Krampus. He, along with Jack Frost and other spirits, is attempting to ask help from Father Time."

"Father Time?" parroted Raiden with bafflement. "That old goat? I've had encounters with him before. None were ever friendly visit to ask how life was and everything."

"Not only that, but your daughter is with them as well." added Pitch. "What was her name? Sariatu."

At the mere mention of his treacherous daughter's name, the Moon King zipped right in front of the Boogeyman in the blink of an eye, glaring at him with burning eyes of hatred, though Pitch stood perfectly still and unfazed by Raiden's suddenness.

"Never speak such a name in my presence!" barked Raiden callously. "I never want to hear of that ungrateful little bitch! Once upon a time, she was by my side with her two sisters before she let herself be taken by insipid human matters like love!" He spat on the ground spitefully as if to spit the word out like it was poisonous. "She had chosen Hanzo, leader of the Beetle Clan, over her own family. Wasn't difficult to take him down lickity-split, but Sariatu chose to fight against me!"

"I'm here in need of your assistance." Pitch continued, having no interest in Raiden's life story full of betrayal and disloyalty.

"Not interested." Raiden turned away, but the King of Fear kept talking.

"Well, if you don't take action now, very soon your daughter will come by and finish you and her sisters off once and for all."

That froze the Moon King dead in his tracks as he grew perturbed over the very thought of Sariatu coming to commit familicide and appear victorious before making the world a better place than he would. He angered him greatly, but it also made him determined to kill his own daughter after everything she's done to him. Raiden breathed a sigh and faced Pitch again.

"What do you need me to do?" He asked.

* * *

The hole they were falling through left them plummeting on a freshly-clean and green grass-covered ground in the middle of an undisclosed location. Everyone took a moment to get back on their feet and regain their bearings to see where they were now since everything escalated so quickly and they just fell down a hole that appeared underneath their feet without definite warning.

"Geez!" griped Maui in both aching pain and anger from falling God know's how many feet down a dark tunnel out of nowhere. "What the hell happened?"

"Oh my god!" gasped Bloom when she realized she wasn't in her land anymore. "The seal! I've left it unguarded! I am so screwed! If I get fired for this, I'm holding all of you accountable!"

"Don't be a baby." Mavis scolded her, making her pout childishly.

"Uh, where did we end up?" Sariatu asked, taking a gander of the new landscape they had fallen into. They seem to have fallen into a healthy-looking biome filled with perfect grass, trees, vines and flowers blanketed by a warm sunshine with a small amount of clouds bristling the baby blue sky. There were nice, clean rivers, ponds and lakes ad long, flowing waterfall that showered and churned the river with it's most pristine natural liquid.

"What is this place?" breathed Max.

"Where'd you take us?" asked Jack, thinking he's responsible, since Bunny is able to open up tunnels in the ground.

"I didn't do anything this, mate!" Bunny denied.

"Then who did?"

"I did." said a new feminine voice.

There before them out of nowhere was a lovely young women as creamy-white, blemish-free skin and a long set of shiny, jet black hair that went below her knees. She was barefoot and wore a green dress made out of plants that exposed her bellybutton in the middle and had on green-colored makeup.

"Mother Nature?" said Jack with shock.

"Hello there, Jack." She greeted with a smile before nodding toward Bloom. "And especially nice to have you here, Bloom."

"Why, Mother Nature! I can't describe how amazing it is to see you again, but I'm afraid you've pulled me out of my post. I'm supposed to be guarding a seal, you see." Bloom explained to the mother of all live on the planet meekly at the last sentence.

"Never you mind about that, my delicate rose petal." Mother Nature reassured soothingly. "You're always free to have a place here if you're ever interested, that is."

"Oh, thank you!" cheered Bloom excitedly.

Mother Nature gave her a warm smile before turning to the rest of the group.

"Welcome, everyone. Sorry for the making you all drop in so suddenly, but it's a lucky thing I did before my father's forces caught you first."

"Why did you?" asked Maui, demanding answers. "I think a warning would be great next time."

"Don't speak a word to me, Maui, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of this and that, blah, blah, blah." Mother Nature babbled on with contempt towards the burly demigod. "I still remember you stealing my daughter's heart many years ago and leaving her to turn into a giant lava monster."

"Te Fiti?" Maui realized. "Te Fiti is your daughter?!"

"Was it never obvious?" jabbed Mother Nature.

"Come on, we put it back where it belonged, okay? The past is past." Maui tried to explain himself, but the mother of flora and fauna was not having any of it.

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

"Okay, enough chit-chat. Why did you bring us here?" Jack asked her seriously.

"I know why you're all here." explained Mother Nature. "You're looking to seek out Father Time to find the Underworld. And what a perilous journey it is. I might be able to offer a little assistance, but for right now, you all could use a little rest. Walk with me."

Mother Nature took them on a little tour through her vast fields and whatnot. The Biome of Everlasting Nature as she likes to call it. Just a tiny alternate pocket universe that she created with her own two hands away from the mortal world and filled with the most beautiful of flora that will never age, or wilt or die no matter what. But she did warn them not to harm any of the plants here or pick the flowers or even their petals, because everything in the biome is a part of her. Whatever pain they feel, she feels.

"How did you know about our quest, Mother?" Jack asked her.

She giggled when she addressed her that way and answered, "I'm Mother Nature, of course! I'm the very ground that you stand on, the ocean that you sail, the grass you walk upon and the air you breathe. I got eyes and ears all over the globe. I see and hear anything and everything. Like when the humans cut down the forests to make room for their energy-siphoning homes and factories and commercial buildings. Don't even get me started on the animals. They remove them from their natural habitat and place in those fake...stage sets for humans to ogle at and ridicule."

"I know it's wrong to mess with the ecosystem, but sacrifices need to be made, right?" asked Max.

"Young man, nature keeps this planet alive and day after day, man spoils it and not thinks twice about it or asks why." Mother Nature said. "Now then, let's have you all freshened up and looking new."

She clapped her hands and a group of fairies flew up around her head, leaving behind a trail of sparkling, golden pixie dust in their wake.

"Fairies?" Max asked with disbelief.

"These are my loyal assistants. Rosetta, Fawn, Iridessa, Vidia, Silvermist, Periwinkle and Tinker Bell." introduced Mother Nature to each individual fairy. Tink, the blonde fairy with her hair in a bun and wearing a green leaf dress, flew toward Max's face and gave a bow.

"They're gonna help with any hospitality they can provide you with."

For the remainder of their stay here in the biome, the fairies were helping the group get relaxed and settled before their next move. Fawn was with Bunny and talking about his life as a Pooka and comparing him to regular bunnies. She really hit it off with him, being an animal fairy and all that. Rosetta and Bloom, both being flower fairies, were growing roses and making them bloom. Rosetta even shared a few beauty tips on the side and they were like sisters. Silvermist was showing Maui how she made dew drops and put them on spiderwebs. Like Te Fifi, she was willing to forgive and forget about Maui's selfish actions in the past. While Sariatu played her shamisen as requested by Iridessa, the light fairy was manipulating natural sunlight; shrinking tiny bits of rays, moving them from one side to another, etc. Vidia and Mavis were exchanging stories to each other, like how Mavis spent her whole immortal life inside of a hotel away from the human civilization as her father was overprotective of her after her mother died when she was baby. Needless to say, Vidia grew rather fond of the vampire girl. The sister, Tink and Periwinkle were talking with Jack and the girls both revealed that Mother Nature has a thing for him.

"Wait, she does?" asked Jack, raising an eyebrow.

"Oops! I said too much, didn't I?" gasped Periwinkle, covering her mouth.

"You sure did." Tink nodded, giving her a smirk.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not that into her. She's a nice lady, but there's someone else I have my eyes on." Jack confessed, but avoided their gaze as if his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Who?" asked Tink, desperately wanting to know.

"I can't tell you that." Jack said.

"Come on, tell us. We promise we won't tell anyone." Periwinkle begged, giving him her puppy-eyed look.

"It's Mavis." Jack whispered to them, cupping his hands around his mouth to ensure no one, not even said girl, could hear his words.

"The vampire girl from Transylvania?" Tink asked with surprise.

"Yeah, that's her."

"You're in love with a vampire? You know vampires drink blood, right?" asked Tink.

"And only sleep during the day?" added Periwinkle.

"Something about her makes feel something. I can't get enough of it." Jack expressed himself.

"Why don't you just tell her than?" suggested Tink with a bit of wisdom in her voice that didn't go unnoticed.

"I'd rather wait for the right moment."

Unknown to the three of them, Mavis was listening in on their conversation miles away from where she was with Vidia and already heard every word he said about her. She blushed madly and smiled gleefully as she had been waiting for him to confess those words for a long time since she's known him. She's been crushing on him ever since she met him but, like him, never had the courage to express it fluently when looking him in the eye. Mother Nature approached Jack from behind.

"Jack? If you could come with me." She said.

Mother Nature brought him along with the rest of the group to one part of the biome where they met up with a maximum of fourteen people who appeared be elemental spirits in various forms of nature and weather. They all sat a large wooden table in the middle of a large clearing that looked like the ruins of an unspecified temple or ancient city.

"I'd like you all to meet my children." introduced Mother Nature to the elementals at the table. The group shared on with confusion.

"Children?" asked Bunny.

"Of course. You see, since the beginning to time, being the mother of all life on earth, I'm able to plant a piece of myself and grow living lifeforms, giving them each respective powers over many important forms of nature. I have like a million children. This is just a few of them. This is Ignis, who provides the earth with global warming and heat. She can be a real hot-head sometimes."

Ignis was glaring at Jack with eyes full of burning fury, as she was a fire elemental and he was born of the cold. Mother Nature stood in front of him protectively and gave her daughter her best "strict mother" stare, making her back down.

"Be nice, dear. Don't want to make a bad first impression."

The fiery woman only rolled her eyes and crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Solar makes the sun shine bright during the day." Mother Nature continued with her introduction. "Aer is the atmosphere of the planet and creates the winds and breezes. Those three are Fluncta, Aestus and Aqua, ocean spirits and keepers of the earth's oceans, seas and whatever else has water."

Maui waved at them since he is a demigod of the sea, but they just waved back unceremoniously.

"Tonitrui and Fulgur create storms together. Tonitrui makes the thunder and Fulgur makes the lightning. Grandinem makes it hail. Motus shakes a portion of the earth, creating earthquakes. Procellus makes hurricanes like he did in 2005 when he made Hurricane Katrina. Voragu's speciality is in tornadoes and cyclones, though they do more harm than good. And finally, Nuba here is the maker of the clouds."

"Hello. Hi." said everyone to the group all at once. But then suddenly, the grass beneath them grows into a human shape and forms a familiar young woman. Maui's eyes nearly popped out of his head at witnessing the one mythical person that he had stolen the heart from.

"Te Fiti?!" He said with a hushed gasp.

"There you are!" Mother Nature went and hugged her firstborn child tightly, who hugged back.

"Hello, mother!" shouted Te Fiti before she spotted Maui. "Hello, Maui. Good to see you're doing well."

"Uh...um…." He turned away, feeling embarrassed about facing the goddess after stealing her heart many years ago.

"Don't be nice to him! Not after what he did!" Mother Nature barked with disdain. "You became a scorching abomination made of lava! Islands you helped me create nearly fell in death and ruin! Sea animals were on the brink of extinction as well."

"Mother, please. I've forgiven him a long time ago." Te Fiti explained, trying to surpass her mother's wrath.

"Well, I haven't." snapped Mother Nature.

"Look, Mother Nature, it would be great that we find Father Time soon. You have to help us." pleaded Jack.

"Well, you see, Jack Frost, we have a good friend who knows someone who can show you the way to Father Time." explained Te Fiti.

"Who?" asked Jack.

"Her name is La Muerte." said Tonitrui, chiming in. "She rules an afterlife of Spanish and Mexican culture and origin called the _El Tierra de los Muertos_ , which is Spanish for "the land of the dead"."

"It has a few other names like "the Beyond" and "the Land of the Remembered"." noted Fulgar.

"Can you show us the way?" asked Max.

"You have your snow globes, don't you?" Mother Nature asked him. "You know what to do. Once you get there, find La Muerte and she'll help you find this person. She says he has a link to other worlds, including Thereafter."

"Thereafter?" asked Bloom.

"It's a little name we call his dimension, since it doesn't really have one." Aer explained.

Max reached in the sack to pull out another snow globe. He took a deep breath and felt somewhat hesitant to enter an afterlife full of deceased people. But he remembered why he was here to begin with. His family was alive and out there. He needed to fight for them. There's no turning back now. Not when he and them have gotten this far.

"What was the name again? For the land of the dead?" asked Max.

" _El Tierra de los Muertos_." said Mother Nature and all her children in unison.

" _El Tierra de los Muertos_." Max whispered into the snow globe and it sparked to life before he did the thing that opened up the portal. As everyone entered through one-by-one, Mother Nature waved them goodbye, wishing them a silent 'good luck' on their journey.

* * *

 **Hi, I've introduced Mother Nature into this story and made Te Fiti her daughter! Though it would be obvious, of course. I even decided to put Tinker Bell and her friends into this as the assistants of Mother Nature since they all come from a place where fairies bring the seasons to the mainland. Please review and await the next chapter.**


	13. El Tierra de los Muertos

Before they all knew it, they were standing in a rather colorful spirit dimension full of stacking building and roads and trains that lead from one place to another. Everything, everywhere, was Dias de los Muertos-themed complete with skull shapes and designs around every corner and not only that, but everyone there was a walking skeleton called calacas with hair and wearing clothes. It wasn't all gruesome and terrifying as Max had previously believed. Nothing dark or spooky or full of grotesque dead people, nothing but bones. And it was quite bright for an afterlife. They were, without a doubt, standing before the _El Tierra de los Muertos_ , or "the Land of the Dead" to be exact. Beneath their feet was a bridge made out of _cempazúchitl_ (Aztec marigold) petals, which were used during Day of the Dead celebrations.

"Wow!" Maui expressed his thoughts before anyone else.

"Yeah, wow." agreed Bunny, staring on with wonder and amazement.

"The Land of the Dead. This is where mortals go after they die?" Bloom summed up. "Not what I expected."

"This is a Spanish version of the afterlife. You'll see that creepy stuff elsewhere." Jack reasoned. "Now, let's see. 1, 2, 3,...There's now 6 spirits here. One more should do it."

"How many snow globes we have left?" asked Bunny.

Max grabbed the sack, which was so much lighter now than it was before. He checked inside only to see, to his bewilderment, that it was empty.

"I think that was the last one." He answered.

"What?" Bunny grabbed the sack to see for himself and saw Max was right. There were no more snow globes to get them anywhere anymore. They had already used them all up. "That's perfect. Alright, we'll just find one more spirit, get to La Muerte and find this person."

"Where do we even start? This place is huge!" Mavis said, pointing out the obvious.

"Well, first of all, let's cover his face." Sariatu began, pulling out a robe and tying it over Max's head like a bandana, masking his face from view.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because they'll easily recognize us as spirits, but they'll see you as who you really are." explained Sariatu gently.

Everyone walked over the bridge to the other side to stumble upon a sort of train station-type place where spirits were coming in and out of, bringing in stuff they've obtained from the living world. But as they entered, the place was full of calacas walking all around. It eventually turned into an uncontrollable crowd. The group had to try and brush their way through, dodging skeletons to wrestle their way to the exit and see if they can find where La Muerte lives. Max was having a hard time seeing where he was going while trying to hide his face from the deceased and ended up inadvertently wandering off from the group and suddenly got lost in the crowd of skeletons. Everyone soon found that Max was gone and looked around to find him and calling out his name, hoping he would answer back.

Max had to lift his head up in order to see where he was and he noticed he wasn't with his friends. He ran all around the station, trying to find a place to hide until everyone found him again. Luckily, he hid inside of a room next to a room where a corrections officer was scolding a calaca man for offending the law. The calaca had light-tan bones, black hair and a tiny scuffle on the tip of his chin. He had on a straw hat, blue coat that was worn-out, a red ascot, raggedy brown pants with suspenders and he was barefoot. Few parts on his bones were cracked and had to be taped back together.

"Disturbing the peace, fleeing an officer, falsifying a unibrow." The officer read through the man's offenses while said calaca had detached his skull and knock some marigold petals out of it.

"That's illegal?" asked the man in confusion.

"Very illegal." declared the officer, brushing the petals of his desk while the man screwed his skull back in place. "You need to clean up your act, amigo."

" _Amigo_?" The calaca trickster repeated with a look of appeasement and smiled. "Oh, that's-that's so nice...to hear you say that. Because I just had a really hard _Dias de los Muertos_ and I could really use an _amigo_ right now."

But the corrections officer was not falling for the calaca's attempts as he rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. The man demonstrated true friendship by detaching his hands on the desk and made them act as people shaking hands.

"And _amigos_ , they help their _amigos_." explained the calaca, trying to use his charms to persuade the stern officer. "Listen, you get me across that bridge and I'll make it worth your while."

Then he noticed a poster of a Mexican star named Ernesto De La Cruz. He had to fight back an angry frown by hiding it with an ecstatic expression. Max listened in on their conversation and felt pity for the calaca man as he was truly desperate to get across the barrier to the living world.

"Oh! You like De La Cruz? He and I go way back. I can get you front row seats to his sunrise spectacular show." The man's charismatic trickery didn't pull the officer's strings for a second as he only brushed off his offer with an annoyed groan and turned around to a field cabinet, but the man was persistent and growing more desperate by the minute as he held his skull in the officer's view.

"I-I-I'll get you backstage! You can meet him! You just gotta let me cross that bridge!"

"I should lock you up for rest of the holiday." The officer snapped, tossing his skull back to him, who played 'hot potato' with it before putting it back on. "But my shift is almost up and I wanna visit my living family. So I'm letting you off with a warning."

The officer handed him a subpoena sheet, giving the signal that his word was final. The man deadpanned with a defeated sigh and snatched the paper out of his hands and was about to leave when he remember the disguise he originally wore in order to fake his way across the bridge unnoticed.

"Can I at least get my costume back?" He asked.

"Uhh...no." The officer said, making the man groan and throw his hands up in utter exasperation as he stormed out of the office and past Max.

" _Ser maldito._ "

Max felt like they could use him as he quietly left the room to follow after him. He found him in the station and managed to catch up to him in time before he lost him in the crowd.

"Hey, you really want to make it across the bridge?" asked Max.

"Who wants to kno- _AHHHHH!_ You're alive!" The man turned to face who was talking to him and yelped, rearing back in fright upon seeing Max, realizing he wasn't dead. But that wasn't all he noticed. "And you're American?"

"Uh, yeah. Listen, I overheard your...confrontation and I was thinking maybe you could have a chance at entering the living world. But I could really use your help." Max explained.

"My help? With what?" asked the calaca.

"It's complicated."

The calaca looked around as if to find any witnesses before grabbing Max and pulling him into a phone booth with him to talk privately.

"Come on, then, kid. I can take it."

"Well, actually, we need some help with location Father Time's universe. You see, my family was taken by Krampus and I need to find them. If you could help us out, that would be fine."

"You're _familia_ was taken by..." He cut himself off when he stared on mouth agape with his eyeballs falling into his wide mouth, grossing Max out. He snapped them back into his eye sockets and took a moment to think this over. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, Oh!...No, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Um, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Yes! You're going into the Underworld!"

"Uh, you know what?" winced Max, feeling like this was a lost cause as he went to leave. "Maybe this isn't such a good-"

"No, _niño_! _Niño!_ " cried the calaca as he went back to Max. "Listen, I can help you, okay? The Underworld is a dark, unforgiving place. But if you really want to go there to help your family, I'm in. Family is important. But I will request this, you have to promise me that you can find a way to get me to the living world if it's possible. I'll help you and you'll help me. We can help each other. But most importantly, I'll be helping you. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan. But I'm just a regular human boy. I might have some friends who can pull that off." Max told him, not wanting to disappoint him.

" _¡Excelente!_ I'm Héctor." The calaca presented his hand for a handshake, which Max accepted.

"I'm Max."

He and the one now known as Héctor walked all around the station for his friends and finally he found them trying to explain to an officer what he looked like in order to find him. Héctor shrieked and hid behind Max when he saw the officer. Finally the group noticed Max and rushed over to him.

"Max! There you are!" Sariatu cried, checking him to see if he's hurt. "You scared us there for a second. We thought we lost you!"

"We did lose him." Maui expressed.

"Shut up, Maui." Mavis hissed at him.

"Where did you wander off to, mate?" Bunny demanded. "We told you to stay close to us."

"It's kind of hard to see where you're going when you're trying to hide your face from dead people." Max explained before he took Héctor out from behind him to introduce him. "This is Héctor. He's going to help us out."

" _Hola._ " Héctor waved at him, smiling. "You must be Jack Frost, is that correct?"

"Yeah, that's me." Jack nodded.

" _El Conejo de Pascua?_ " remarked Héctor, pointing at Bunny, who nodded.

"And you?"

"Sariatu. I'm from Japan." She explained herself.

"I'm Maui, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of...all." Maui introduced himself next.

"Never heard of you." Héctor retorted.

"OH, COME ON!" Maui complained as he shouted, making the girls roll their eyes.

"I'm Mavis Dracula, nice to meet you." Mavis said next with a graceful smile, revealing her canines. "I'm a vampire."

"Yeah, that's nice. And who's the lovely _pétalo de rosa_?" Héctor asked, gesturing to Bloom. Even though she didn't speak Spanish, she could almost sense that it was a compliment and she giggled in response, blushing madly.

"Hua Xian. But you can call me Bloom." She said almost flirtatiously.

"Uh, well. Uh...hi, Bloom." Héctor stuttered in his words, feeling nervous about facing a beautiful young woman.

"So, anyway, we're trying to find La Muerte." Jack said, cutting to the chase.

"And what is your business with her?" asked Héctor.

"She knows someone who knows how to enter Father Time's realm. It's important that we see her now." Sariatu stepped in.

"I gave Héctor a promise that we'd help him make it to the mortal realm if he helped us." Max told them all.

"And how are we gonna do that?" Mavis asked.

"I don't know, but I'm really desperate to get across." Héctor replied anxiously.

"Look, we'll think about it, okay?" Jack told him calmly. "Right now, we need to find La Muerte. Do you know where she is?"

"Of course, I do! Everyone here knows where she is."

"Show us." Jack requested.

Héctor brought them onto a train that travelled to a far section of the land where all of the fiestas occur and the rejoicing never ends. There was party floats, confetti and music everywhere. The celebration never seemed to simmer down, even for a millisecond. Sitting in the middle was a large, luxurious, Aztec-themed castle.

"That's where she lives. Come with me."

Entering the castle, it seemed much bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. It was like the world's largest mansion that only the eyes of a true spectator can differentiate this to an ordinary mansion from the land of the living. Such glorious and eye-catching interior design. Suddenly, the group was approached by a tall calaca woman wearing traditional Spanish dress and hat.

"Héctor Rivera? Why are you here?" asked La Calavera Catrina.

"Catrina, I have brought guests here from the land of the living. Where is your _madre_?" asked Héctor.

"This way." Catrina ordered and they followed them down the shifting corridor where there was so much to see around the place.

"Man, Mother Nature gets her own biome, yet this La Muerte gets a huge castle luxury?" Maui crowed, letting his eyes dart around the area.

"Is that a problem?" asked Sariatu, narrowing her eyebrows.

"No, of course not!" Maui said in denial.

Catrina brought them all to the huge room that had the huge table full of delicious food. It almost watered Max's mouth to see a buffet table of many foods that he could eat. Catrina faced the large chair at the very end of the table that was facing the large window.

" _Madre, tienes algunos visitantes._ " She called outward in Spanish. The chair swiveled around to reveal the tallest calaca woman of divine beauty and stature made of sweet sugar candy in _Dias de los Muertos_ apparel, long, licorice black hair and wearing a large red Spanish dress decorated with golden marigolds and the largest sombrero they ever did see with tiny skulls hanging from the rim and floating, lit candles on the hem of her dress. She had turquoise eyeshadow and multicolored eyes. Floating, lit candles were around the rim of her giant sombrero as well, including a huge bouquet of marigolds and palm leaves. La Muerte, goddess of death, queen for the Land of the Dead and mother of La Calavera Catrina, fixated on her visitors with interest.

" _¡Dios mío! ¡Bienvenidos todos!_ Welcome to the Land of the Remembered!" La Muerte announced in her most charming welcoming demeanor. Standing up from her seat, she appeared taller than everyone in the room, including Catrina. She floated over in front of everyone to get a closer look. "So who do we have here? Jack Frost, Héctor, Bunnymund, Sariatu, Mavis, Bloom and, oh, it's you." She groaned and shifted her gaze away from Maui. "Anyway, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Greetings, your gracefulness. We're here in need of somebody's help." Jack explained. "We're helping this young boy rescue his family."

La Muerte gasped when they showed her Max. He waved at her nervously.

"Your family was taken? You poor boy! I'm so sorry to hear that. Who's responsible?" She demanded.

"Krampus." Max answered gravely.

" _¿Arrancar mis pétalos, ese hijo de puta con rostro de cabra?_ " swore La Muerte, which was so unlike her, developing a growing hatred for said demon.

"Language, my dear." said a new voice belonging to a tall figure about the same size at La Muerte. An undead deity made of tar and black ectoplasm with a skull for a head and red eye pulls shaped like skulls with a white mustache and beard. His had black angel wings and a black and green crown resting on top of his head. La Muerte gasped to see her husband appear out of nowhere.

"Xibalba! Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry, _mi amor_. I couldn't help myself." He replied with a mischievous grin, reminding her of his childish wit and humor.

"This is my husband, Xibalba. Ruler of the Land of the Forgotten." La Muerte introduced to the group, ignoring her husband's antics.

"Land of the Forgotten?" asked Maui.

"It's where people go to fade into dust after being forgotten my family members." explained La Muerte. "Here is where dead family members reside when they are remembered."

"So what's all this talk about Krampus?" asked Xibalba.

"They want to seek out a person you know who has a link to other worlds, including Father Time's realm." Héctor explained to the godly couple.

"Is that so?" queried La Muerte. "Well, we do, in fact, know a person of that general description. But the issue is, he resides in the Cave of Souls on the very far edge of the land where no one has ever returned from before. At least, not in one piece. It takes one of daring and compassionate bravery to make it there without dying."

"I don't care. We need to see him. We have to." Max begged with determination.

"I applaud your spirit, young man. But it's just too much to ask." La Muerte said to him strictly.

"La Muerte, we've already gotten this far in our journey. It's only fair if you showed us the way. We've braved and overcome many obstacles along the way. His family needs him." Sariatu said with the most persuasive tone.

The queen goddess thought hard about this, but she knew how relentless they were and sighed.

"Well, okay." She finally decided. "But you're gonna have to take Héctor with you. He'll show the way. And remember to not get hurt along the way. Especially you, Max. Understood?"

"Yes, La Muerte." He nodded in understanding.

"You'll take care of them, won't you, Héctor?" Xibalba asked.

"I will...try." Héctor slowly agreed, feeling hesitant. "It won't be easy, but I'll try."

"Good." La Muerte smiled. "Because I can assist you into the living world to see your daughter."

"You...can do that?"

" _Por supuesto que puedo._ " She informed him with a laugh. "I'm the goddess of death, after all. With a little help from Xibalba, we can even bring you back to life."

"All I want is to see my daughter again, that's all." murmured Héctor.

"Right. Of with you all, then!" Xibalba cried, shooing them away playfully.

After departing from the glittering and decorative castle of La Muerte, Héctor got the group on skeleton horses and together, they rode off away from the city and into the lone desert towards their destination. They rode past cacti and skulls and bones of those who tried to get through, but failed. Along the way, Bloom rode her horse close to Héctor to ask him about something.

"Héctor? What did she mean when she said about your daughter?" She asked curiously; bless her heart.

"I don't feel comfortable talking about this." He turned away, downtrodden.

"Please tell me." Bloom begged, putting on her cute buggy-eyed look to further her persistence. Héctor sighed and realized he had no choice.

"For years since my death, I've been trying to return to my little girl. My Coco." He explained with sorrow. "Long time ago, my friend Ernesto insisted that we shared our music to the world and become the biggest stars ever. I was stupid enough to agree to his terms and so I left with him to become famous, leaving my wife, Imelda, alone to take care of Coco."

"You left them?" Bloom asked with shock.

"I wasn't trying to abandoned them to fend for themselves." Héctor defended. "I just wanted to purse a better life for me and my _familia_. Maybe get us a bigger mansion to live in. But overtime, I grew homesick and wanted to return home to them. Ignoring Ernesto's objections, I was ready to return to my Imelda and Coco. Ernesto shared a toast with me before escorting me to the train station. However, along the way, I felt a painful feeling in my gut. I thought it was something I had eaten, but it was more than that. I woke up dead."

"Were you poisoned?" asked Bloom, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Si." He nodded with sadness. "Ernesto poisoned me, stole my songs and used them to become a sensational celebrity. As for Imelda, well, she did not take my departure very well as you would expect. And why would she? She was left home alone with Coco and forced to raise her on her own. She then began a shoemaking business and banned her family members and future members to come from ever loving, hearing or playing music ever again. It's been that way ever since. But my Coco...every year on the Day of the Dead, I've been trying to get back to her and tell her I love her and that her daddy was coming home. To hold her in my arms once again."

At this point, Bloom was already shedding tears at his story, feeling sympathy for the calaca man. Everyone else was listening to his story and felt like he deserved to belong somewhere.

"And the Day of the Dead is where the spirits visit their living relatives." explained Héctor. "But, unfortunately, you can only cross over into the land of the living unless your family has a picture of you on their ofrenda. It's the laws of the supernatural world. And ever since I left, Imelda has had me erased from the family's memory, never telling anyone about me. Trying to cut me out of the family, leave me to be forgotten. So the family has no picture of me on their ofrenda, so I cannot cross over. Imelda's here in the afterlife, but she...disowned me for leaving her and Coco and shut me out entirely. I was forced to live among the Shantytowns where those who are being forgotten wait until their time came."

"Came for what?" asked Bloom.

"We call it the "Final Death". When there's no one left in the living world to remember you, you vanish away to the Land of the Forgotten, where your existence is no more."

"Héctor, I know that I'm new to all of this and pardon me for saying so, but your wife sounds like a real bitch." Bloom retorted, making Héctor look at her in shock.

"Bloom!" Sariatu shouted, reprimanding her for uttering an obscenity.

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Héctor.

"Sorry for the foul language, but you're the most honest man I've ever met. Sure, you left you family to purse fame and fortune, but you were able to understand the meaning of family soon enough. You still cared for your daughter. And if Imelda is too proud and stubborn see that, than she's an idiot."

"Hey, now, Imelda may be stubborn as she is passionate, but that doesn't mean she's a bad person." Héctor remarked.

"I'm sorry, Héctor, but you're just too good for her." Bloom told him in a now softer, calmer voice. "You deserve better than this. And her? Building up a life full of blind rage, hatred and poor judgement? That's just not healthy. And what's worse is that she burns that into the minds of her future relatives, manipulating them into hating music just as much as she does without even giving the slightest thought about what they want, what they like and who they want to be. You may still love her, Héctor and you don't have to take my word for it, but I think you deserve someone nicer, someone who can understand you better."

At the last sentence, she held onto Héctor's boney hand and fondled it, giving him a warm smile.

"She has a point, Héctor." said Mavis, agreeing with her terms. "Family is important, but your wife had already rejected you and forcing her family into a life they couldn't have asked for firsthand."

"I don't know, _amigos_. It's just hard for me enough as it is." Héctor expressed mournfully.

"Look, we'll help you get through this. But first, we need you." Max told him, riding his horse with Jack.

Héctor needed time to think this over. In the meantime, they finally arrived where they needed to be and it stood at the top of a mountain in the shape of a giant Mayan statue that was just painful when looked at. After some painful mountain climbing and ensuring Max's safety in case he slipped and fell to his death, they finally reached the top of the mountain, which was a large round stone surface and in the red mist, an entrance in the shape of a scary-looking skull.

"There's the entrance." Héctor told them.

"This is it? Didn't seem too bad. Looks simple enough." Maui replied walking toward.

"No, wait!" cried Héctor, trying to deter him from doing anything foolish. But the demigod kept going, believing it was that easy.

"Come on, the entrance is right the-"

BAMMM!

Suddenly, a large stone wall appeared out of the ground in mere seconds, knocking poor Maui back towards the groups on his back, leaving him groaning in pain.

"I take it back. It doesn't look that simple." He groaned.

 _"You are not worthy."_ said the entrance in a loud, booming, authoritative voice.

An abrupt, crackling noise fell upon everyone's ears as the ground beneath them started to quake and crack. The group all split up as a labyrinth with walls in the shape of another skull formed from where they all stood, splitting them all up when the walls arisen from the ground out of nowhere.

 _"Face the labyrinth and earn the right to be judged."_

The floor the labyrinth rest upon moved all around, wobbling, twisting and spinning catching everyone off guard as giant stone balls rolled their way around the corridors wherever the labyrinth moved them. Max and the others ran for their lives in all directions, narrowly avoiding the incoming rolling orbs threatening to crush them all flat. Héctor pulled Bloom down a path to the right, out of the way of the ball before it could reach them. Max was left on his own as the ball was rolling toward him. He ran wild before he noticed the other ball coming toward him from the front of him. Luckily, he jumped into a new path in just the nick of time before the two ball collided with one another. Jack and Mavis tried to steady their balance with what the wobbling labyrinth before Jack suddenly fell into a deep hole. Mavis caught his staff in time and pulled him out. Jack thanked her and Mavis gave him a kiss on the cheek in response, much to his dazzlement.

Max joined up with Jack, Héctor and Sariatu as they all ran as fast as their legs could allow while all three of the balls rolled after them. Suddenly, everyone came together in the center and embraced each other as the balls rolled in from all directions. The balls got closer and closer, until...

SMACK!

The balls slammed into each other, but everyone stay in the very middle of them, unharmed and safe. Jack helped Max climb onto the top of the ball as the ground finally steadied and the walls of the labyrinth sunk back into the ground.

 _"You have earned the right to be judged."_ announced the entrance as it, too, arose from the ground to reveal itself having a giant body and brandishing a sword. _"But be warned. No mortal has ever passed."_

The stone giant lifted it's sword up high and threatened to smite the young boy with it. While everyone gasped and expressed their worry and concern over his life, Max stood his ground and stared back at the towering skeleton behemoth with tough bravery. His family needed him and he wasn't going to back down. Not now and not ever.

"For my family." He told him with great courage.

As the giant brought it's sword down fast, everyone screamed "MAX!", but Max did not move a single muscle or even cringe. He was ready for it. As soon as the sword came smack down on him, it cracked into pieces once it struck him, leaving him untouched. The rest of the sword disintegrated, leaving the entrance bewildered beyond belief.

 _"Maxwell Engel. You're heart is pure and courageous. You shall enter."_ It spoke as it sunk back into the ground, becoming an entrance once more. It's bottom teeth lowered for them, offering them all entry.

"Max! Thank god!" Sariatu cried with relief as she hugged the boy tightly in a motherly embrace before giving him a stern and angered look. "Don't ever do that again, you hear me?!"

"Yeah, yeah." He nodded with a sigh.

* * *

 **Now they have Héctor Rivera from Coco with them. And they found La Muerte and Xibalba from The Book of Life as well. According to wiki, La Calavera Catrina is a 1910-1913 zinc etching done by Mexican printmaker, cartoon illustrator and lithographer by José Guadalupe Posada, depicting a skeleton female only a hat. But I figured it be cool if I made her into a spirit and the daughter of La Muerte and Xibalba. She's also a famous Day of the Dead icon. For those you can't speak Spanish, I may suggest using Google Translate to help you out. Do await for the next chapter for me.**


	14. Only Time Will Tell

Against their better judgement, everyone stepped through the entrance and found themselves wading through the dark and mysterious cave and once inside of the cave, the group was surrounded by a mist below their knees as they slowly delved deeper into the cold, moist cavern with dangerously-sharp stalagmites and stalactites around every corner.

"This is the Cave of Souls?" asked Mavis. "Doesn't seem like much. I was expecting wandering ghosts or something."

"Don't judge, chica vampiro." warned Héctor sternly.

"That..." echoed a male voice that reverberated off the wall of the cave. Everyone looked down to see a golden, glowing wide tendril of light slithering around on the ground around their feet in the mist like a snake.

"...was..."

Then immediately, a large, round golden figure popped out of the ground in front of them that had a big, fluffy white beard around a bubbly grin, a wooden, beaded necklace around his neck that resembled what a monk or priest would wear and his whole body was bell-shaped and appeared to be made out of golden candle wax as he had no feet. He had wristbands made of stone and tattoos on his arms.

"...awesome, man!" cheered and praised the golden figure enthusiastically. "Look, the giant boulders were like, "Boom, boom, boom!" and then, you were like..." He then made zipping, sword-swinging sound effects for emphasis, moving all around, striking poses and acting everything out while the group stared on in confusion. "And then the cave guardian, he came in and he was like, "I'm gonna judge you with this giant sword!"."

"Excuse me, sir?" Max tried to get a word in.

"And then, you...you got through." The golden man finished with an amazed smile.

"I'm sorry, sir. But we're here for your help in getting to Father Time." Max explained to him.

"Father Time?" asked the golden wax figure, raising an eyebrow in confusion. But then a large, thick, floating book of ancient text levitated over to the man's head and showed him a page. "Must be really serious. But I don't know if that can be done, Max."

"You know me?" Max chirped with shock.

"Oh, yeah, man." The golden deity nodded with a grin. "We know everybody. We know Héctor, Jack, Bunny, Sariatu, Bloom, Mavis, Maui and Puddle."

He pointed to a small puddle on the ground last, earning a collective odd look from the group.

"How ya doin', Puddle?"

"Hi?" Max waved at it as well awkwardly.

"It's all here in the Book of Life." The candle person gestured to the gloating book as it seemed to make a nod to everyone. Then the man realized, "Wait, where are my manners? Come on in, y'all!"

Suddenly, the ground underneath them lifted up into the air to reveal they were standing on a skull-shaped stone platform that took the group and the golden man high upward until they ended up in the largest, most magnificent cave that would put the Cave of the Crystals to shame. As the platform slowed to a stop in mid-air, everyone's eyes bulged out with breathless wonder as they gazed upon the beautiful cave. There were five waterfalls and lit candles everywhere.

"Welcome to the Cave of Souls!" announced the golden deity to everyone as his voice carried an echo while he held a floating candle in the palm of his hand. " _Mi casa es su casa._ "

"Now this is a cave!" breathed Mavis with the biggest, wondrous eyes than everyone.

"Do you make all these candles?" asked Maui.

"I sure do!" The golden figure nodded with pride in his voice. "Each one of them is a life. And I'm your humble, yet strikingly handsome...Candlemaker!"

His voice carried another echo as he held his arms out and passed for effect as if expecting an applause. Well, the only applause he got was from the Book of Life while the group just stared back at him, unsure of what to think or say.

"I don't get it, mate." Bunny remarked.

"Wait, wait, wait! I didn't do the thing. I gotta do the thing. Watch this." The Candlemaker clapped his hands, sending a bright glow inside the cave and in response, groups of candles float down toward the platform and swirled around in circles around everyone in a perfect synchronization while they watched on with glee.

"Woah!" They all exclaimed.

"Amazing, huh? This is our work! This is what we do!" The Candlemaker shouted. "Look! That group, that's your town, Max!"

He brought down eleven candles and let them dancing beautifully in his hands.

"And here, that's your family." The Candlemaker explained before grabbing an unlit candle. "One aflame with life, the other...kaput. You see, here, as long as someone alive remembers you, you get to live in the Land of the Remembered."

"Well, you see, we kinda came here to enter Father Time's realm and we were told you know a way there." Jack explained.

"Oh, I do have a way there, but the issue is I can't open it." said the Candlemaker.

"But it's urgent that we see Father Time fast. Please, you have to help us." begged Max.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that, Max." The Candlemaker replied, giving him a sympathetic expression. But then the Book of Life nudged him and opened itself up to page that made his eyes widen.

"Santa Chihuahua!" He cried incredulously. "Okay, okay! Look, guys, the Book of Life, it holds everyone's story. But the pages on Max's life...they're blank!"

"Blank?" Max peeped.

"You haven't lived the life that was written for you. Which means, you're writing your own story!" The Candlemaker finished giddily like an excited young child before making the "mind blown" gesture complete with an explosion sound effect.

"Is that good?" Bloom asked Héctor, who only shrugged as his answer.

"So you'll help us get to Father Time?" asked Max with hope.

"Well, I know I'm not supposed to interfere, but I might be able to bend the rules just a little." answered the Candlemaker. "After all, every soul and mortal has a purpose. Right, Book?"

He and the Book of Life shared a fist bump.

"Now, you see that waterfall there?" The Candlemaker gestured to one of the magic waterfalls. "Each one of them is a magic link to various worlds, especially into Father Time's dimension. I can't open it, but you all can. Now let me see here..." He counted the spirits Max was with in soft mutters. "That's seven spirits here! That should be enough to open the gateway! The one way is to do the dance and speak the words over and over. Now repeat after me."

The Candlemaker did a small, native dance while chanting the words, " _Abre la entrada, ilumina el camino!_ "

While everyone looked at each other weirdly before they all followed along with the Candlemaker's instructions and did the dance together as a group and repeated the words with him.

" _Abre la entrada, ilumina el camino!_ " Everyone, including Max, danced and chanted the words in unison as a team with the Candlemaker.

"Come on, let's do this!" He encouraged.

The group all danced around in a circle and chanted the incarnation over and over louder and louder. Suddenly, during the dance, a strange wind picked up while they performed the magic pageant and then, without warning, lightning struck the waterfall as the Candlemaker brought the platform over to it while the lightning flashed onto the raining water. Finally, a silence grew upon the cave as everyone stopped dancing and chanting to see the waterfall split open from the middle to reveal a ticking grandfather clock made of blue crystals.

"A grandfather clock?" Bunny retorted. "That's the entrance?"

"Father Time likes to keep things subtle, ya know what I mean?" The Candlemaker said as he opened the door to the grandfather clock, revealing a dark tunnel leading inward. When he noticed Maui's size, the Candlemaker expanded the clock's size so he'll be able to fit though better.

"Well, come on, Max. Let's go." Jack grabbed Max's hand and they both walked into the entrance through the clock down the dark tunnel. Then everyone followed suit, entering the clock's passageway.

"Good luck, y'all."

"Thanks for everything, Candlemaker." Héctor thanked the golden wax life-giver.

"Happy to lend a hand, man." The Candlemaker gave the skeleton man a fist bump before Héctor entered the clock's tunnel, following after the rest just as the Candlemaker waved the goodbye before the clock's door shut up tight. The temporary blackness was lit with a faint, white glow far ahead of them. Everyone figured correctly that that was the way out of the passageway they were in. Making their way over to the light, everything went bright for a brief moment. Then finally, they were standing in the middle of a smooth and quiet desert of sand dunes under a dark night sky that looked like a constellation map. But even though it was nighttime here, the sandy landscape was blanketed by the luminous glow of the stars and the moon.

"What sort of desert is this?" asked Héctor, looking all around.

"I think we've made it." Jack replied. "This must be the Sands of Time and Father Time's fortress shouldn't be too far ahead."

With that being said, the group sally forth through the vast regions of the Sands of Time in the dimension of "Thereafter" to find where the man of the hour resides. Halfway on the trip, Héctor accidentally slipped down a dune, taking Bloom with him along the way, sending them both sliding down to the bottom.

"You guys okay?" Mavis cried while the rest went to get them.

"Now I know what a slide is like." Bloom commented.

When taking a moment to regain his senses after that unfortunate minor setback, something in the distance caught Héctor's attention. It looked like a blue structure of some kind.

"Hey, is that it over there?" He asked, pointing in the direction he sees it in.

"It must be." Sariatu nodded. "It has to be."

Continuing on through the seemingly endless sand dunes, everyone didn't stop until they got close enough to the structure in no time at all. Taking a more clearer view, it looked like a huge castle-like foundation made entirely out of shiny, blue-tinted, nearly transparent crystals. It was just like North had described. This must be where Father Time lived. The entrance to the castle was down a sandy hill and when Max came forward, he nearly slipped and fell when he walked down, but he kept his balance and made it to the front of the entrance. The walls were so shiny that everyone could see their reflections. Max went to rap at the door, which only flung the door open as it seemed to nosily open on it's own accord.

"Should we go in?" asked Maui.

"Surely he wouldn't mind." Bloom shrugged.

The group went inside of the magnificent crystal fortress and Héctor slowly and carefully shut the door before following his new friends. On the inside, the interior was a sight to behold and it almost looked like to inside of a giant clock and there were many clocks of different designs on the walls and on pedestals and tables. Cuckoo clocks, grandfather clocks, alarm clocks and any other device that tells the time. The silence on the large foyer was broken by the incessant tick-tocks all around.

" _¡Jesucristo!_ That's a lot of clocks!" Héctor expressed his thoughts out.

"How does he keep track of all this?" asked Maui.

"This is amazing!" Mavis exclaimed, picking up a small cuckoo clock and observed it with curiosity.

"Oh, Mavis! Be careful with that!" Jack shouted as he rushed over, but it was too late. The cuckoo clock struck 12:00 and a bird popped out, crying out it's titular "cuckoo" noise, frightening and startling Mavis. She jumped back and dropped the clock on the floor, breaking it into pieces. But she suddenly lost her balance, tumbling backwards until she finally crashed right into a larger crystal-encrusted grandfather clock different from the one they entered through and before they knew it, it started to tip over and was ready to fall down and suffer the same fate as the cuckoo. Everyone knew it was too late to do anything to save it, but then...it stopped!

The massive grandfather clock stopped about a quarter off the floor as a wrinkled hand placed upon it's side before it could reach the floor, saving it from it's doom. Everyone watched in awe. There he was standing before them with his big, white beard so long that it nearly touched the floor and adorned in his grey, dark blue, dark grey and black robes and on his face were Roman numerals for numbers tattooed around his eyes in a clock's formation. Even with the odd makeup on, the markings of many generations of age were still evident on his wrinkled face like the text on a sheet of paper. He held his wooden staff firmly in his hand while holding onto the large clock with the other as he eyed his visitors with a stern gaze for almost destroying his beloved possession.

Father Time pushed the grandfather clock back up and made it stand upright while everyone watched him use his powers to reverse time on the cuckoo clock Mavis accidentally destroyed and repaired it within seconds and levitated it back onto the table. Finally, Father Time broke the ice.

"You must be the very worst guests I've ever had." He grunted in a bitter, elderly English accented voice.

"Uh...uh, I'm sorry for wrecking your cuckoo and almost breaking your bigger one." Mavis stuttered out an apology and hoped Father Time wouldn't hold it against her.

"Entering my private fortress without knocking, fiddling childishly with my countless-year old collection of clocks." presumed Father Time as he went to check on his other clocks. He twirled the hands of one clock back to it's appropriate time and tapped the glass on another with his staff to get it ticking again. "Disrupting an old man's sanctity, not your most precedented first impression."

"Uh, we're very sorry for barging in like this and the trouble we caused, but if we could just have a moment of your time-"

"My time? I am time, woman." The ancient man turned to Sariatu strictly. "I control all of time and age and even reality itself."

"Right. Sorry about that." Sariatu apologized.

"You sure have a lot of clocks around here." Maui explained, changing the subject.

"Indeed." Father Time nodded, gazing at his own onslaught of ticking clocks. "Clocks for every city in every country of the world."

"It's very nice, Mr. Father Time, but we could really use yo-" Father Time silenced Max's sentence before he could finish it, cutting him off by shushing him and pointing to a golden clock.

"In about 5 seconds, it will be 12:00 AM in Russia."

As soon as the clock struck the proclaimed time, it tolled and rang in a monotonous, melodic rhythm. Father Time marched down the corridor with the rest following him. Maui stayed behind to observe another clock to see if it did anything.

"What country are you from?" He asked it, but his unexpected answer back in the form of a wooden owl bursting out of the clock, cawing loudly at Maui's face, making him jump and rush to join the others.

"Look, sir, we came all this way to ask for your help." Jack explained.

"Really? Well, then you certainly have a lot of time on your hands." Father Time remarked.

"Are you a Guardian, too?" Max asked.

"I am my own Guardian, little boy." answered the old man. "I am the very essence of time itself and old as it as well. I keep track of very tick, every tock, every hour, every minute, every tiny moment of each day in a whole year. Every little minute counts. I've been around since the very beginning of time, before the earth itself was handcrafted by God's mighty fingers. But I will spare you the tedious memories of my past, what have you come to me for?"

"Go on, Max. Tell him." Jack said as he pushed the boy forward.

"Father Time, my family was taken from me on Christmas by Krampus and taken to his lair in the Underworld. I have journeyed all this way with my friends to find you because I was told you have complete access to any world across the universe."

"You want to enter the Underworld?" asked Father Time, to which Max nodded. "Oh, dear me, no. I'm afraid not, young man. The Underworld is far too dangerous for a child your age. No mere mortal, let alone children, have ever entered the hellish realm of the damned and gotten out in one piece to tell the tale about it. Why, you'll be dead in seconds if you went down there. At least by yourself."

"But he won't be alone. He has us." Jack corrected.

"We'll protect him." Sariatu mentioned.

"We got his back no matter what." Maui pledged.

"I'm very sorry, but it's much too risky for him. You never know what unspeakable horrors you might run into. You enter that place, you'll never be the same when you get out, if you get out."

"Sir, we already went through a whole mess of obstacles just to get here." Max explained, growing desperate. "I was left in the cold remains of my house, we sailed unforgiving oceans, fell into a giant crab's cave, I was close to being captured by two creepy twins, we had to drive halfway through Japan by car and the Boogeyman's black horses almost had us."

"The Boogeyman?" Father Time piped. "You mean he's free?"

"Yes." Max nodded. "And don't talk to me about unspeakable horrors. Me and my family already saw too many of that on Christmas before Krampus captured each one of them and left me to fend for myself. I've already gotten this far. I can't turn back now. Not when I know my family's alive."

"You have to help him, sir." Mavis joined in. "His family is counting on him. He needs them as much as they need him."

"Family is important, _señor."_ exclaimed Héctor.

Father Time gave a moment to ponder over this. He knew the Underworld was a dangerous netherworld of untold terror and monsters roaming about and he cared for the boy's safety. But he knew Max was relentless about getting his family back.

"You really want to enter the Underworld?" He asked.

"Yes." Max and everyone else shouted in unison.

"Very well, then. I will honor your wishes, but first thing's first." Father Time explained before he shouted out down the fortress walls. "Gregorio! Julian!"

In response to his call, two young men ran down the hallways and entered the room the group was standing in and scrambled to the floor. One was wearing a black robe who was named Gregorio while they other was in white, known as Julian.

"Yes, Father?" They both responded together, reminding Sariatu of her twin sisters in a humorous way that made her giggle.

"Bring me my hourglass." ordered Father Time.

His two loyal assistants and apprentices were dedicated to their master/mentor, but are sometimes clumsy. Despite their sibling-like antics, Father Time held a paternal care for the two as if they were his own sons. Unlike Mother Nature, who created her own children with her own body and soul, the two were mortal humans once before Father Time granted them immortal life with him. Gregorio was from the year 4422 B.C. and Julian was from 553 A.D. Father Time ironically named them both after calendars. The duo brought forth Father Time's personal hourglass and set it on the pedestal.

"You are going to be tested, Max Engel." explained the keeper of all time. "If you truly are as brave as you want me to believe, then you're going to have to prove it first before I can allow you and your friends entry to the Underworld."

"Okay, so what do I need to do?" asked Max.

"I shall send you through history on the Island of Eras where many of the past years and time periods rest upon. The test is for you to live through each era without dying. But don't worry, you won't necessarily die on my watch. If you're about one step away on death's door, you will be teleported back here and therefore, you fail. So according to this hourglass, you will be given 51 days."

"51 days?!" Max shrieked with disbelief.

"51 days, 17 eras and 3 days for each. And if you can survive each one, brave every danger that comes your way before the final day, then you'll be able to enter the Underworld."

"But that's practically a whole month! I don't think I'll ever make it through!" Max complained.

"It will be for you when you get there, but here, it'll be only 2 hours." Father Time reasoned. "You'll be given bars on your forearm to count down each era you live through to help you keep track. And remember your family, that's your motivation. Have a little faith in yourself. I'll guide you along the way. And relax, your actions won't effect the past, present or future. Just be careful, understand?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Father?" Sariatu asked with concern. "He's only 12."

"He won't be once the test starts." Father Time clarified.

"I'm not sure about this." Max muttered nervously.

"Have courage, young lad, and remember this. Time is an important thing. It must never be taken lightly. Bravery comes not from experience, but from the daring to fail. Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit. The only power you have is belief in yourself."

"Yes, sir." said Max, accepting his advice.

"Good man. And your test begins..." Father Time began and turned the big hourglass upside down, making all that sand fall. "...now."

Then all of the sudden, at the very second the hourglass was flipped over, Max vanished into thin air in a light of bright blue, catching everyone by surprise.

"Where and when did you send him first?" asked Héctor.

"A place and time to give him a good kick start." Father Time reminded him.

* * *

 ** _NAPOLEONIC WARS  
_** ** _Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy  
_** ** _August 5, 1796_**

Everything was black and soft and Max groaned as his vision cleared and sat up from the ground to see he was in middle of a field. Not just any field. A portion of the Italian countryside away from a town just a mile away. There came sounds of cannons and gunshots being fired far in the distance which were loud enough to be heard for miles. He saw that he was outside of an Italian farm holding livestock and when he stood up onto his feet, he realized he felt different. He somehow felt taller and stronger than he normally was. The first thing he looked at was his hands. They were bigger and not only that, but he was wearing some kind of late 18th century garments and boots. Max felt his face and it felt fuzzy like he was growing a beard.

"Excuse me!" shouted a woman's voice. He turned to see an Italian peasant woman who lived on the farm coming over to him. "Are you lost?"

"I'm sorry, but how old do I look?" asked Max, his voice sounded deeper and mature, much to his disbelief.

"Uh...you look about 20 or 30 years old. Why you ask?" answered the peasant girl in confusion.

Max stepped into a puddle and looked downward to see his reflection in the small pool resting at his feet on the ground. With the help of the bright sun, he gasped when he saw that he had transformed into an adult version of himself. Or was he in a different person's body? He wasn't sure.

"I...I gotta go." He told the woman and ran off through the thick fields in his momently state of panic and confusion. How could he have grown up this fast? Was this part of Father Time's test? If so, then it was understandably. He probably wanted to see how he would escape danger alone as a grown-up. Suddenly, he found himself heading straight for civilians on horses. Max stopped dead in his tracks when the horses whinnied and rear back, startled. He tried to run around them, but only succeeded into running into a man, knocking them both to the ground. There were more people there who were marching away from the town to escape whatever mad revery was occurring long behind them all.

"You're going the wrong way, mister! We're not heading towards the battle!" One of the villagers shouted.

"I'm so sorry about that!" Max apologized and help the man gather his things. "What town is that over there?"

"Castiglione delle Stiviere or what's left of it anyway." answered the panicky man, quickly retrieving his items to get back onto his feet.

Max paused when he heard this and more of that sound-breaking blasts and explosion heard off increased tenfold. The now-grownup Max fled from the evacuation party of scared villagers and back into the fields and checked his forearm to see there were 16 black bars on his flesh.

"Where am I?" He asked softly to no one in particular.

 _"The question is when are you?_ " corrected the voice of Father Time as he appeared as a projection before Max. He pointed out towards the battle occurring over where the civilians were escaping from. _"You're in the Napoleonic Wars. Over there is the Battle of Castiglione. This is your first era, Max. Take care of yourself."_

Max knew he had to be brave and looked to see the projection of Father Time was gone. Fighting the sinking feeling in his gut, he hiked down to the attacked town where the battle was taking place. It grew dark when he got close, so he had to take a boat down the river into the town, in the very battlefield itself full of explosions, burning buildings and the screams of agony and horror of the opposing enemies. Soldiers were shot at or gutted like fish or even set ablaze. One such burning soldier screamed as he scorched indefinitely, running toward the river and diving into the water parallel to Max to douse the flames, but he had already sustained many injures and even fifty degree burns all over his body.

"Aim! Fire!" screamed a commanding officer of the French Army and the soldier fired upon the unfortunate prisoners, shooting them dead.

Docking his boat and sneaking his way through the war-stricken town, Max ducked his way around corners and paths away from the eyes of the French soldiers reeking siege upon this poor, unfortunate village. He heard laughter nearby and saw that there was a puppet show going on despite the crisis occurring around. A small man in a French soldier uniform sitting in a chair was the only audience for the show and was just laughing and having the time of his life while the rest of his men stood by with him and an orchestra played beneath the stage.

"Napoleon Bonaparte." Max whispered to himself in complete shock to see an actual historical figure in person. But then he was suddenly grabbed by a French soldier and dragged over to the crowd of other performers backstage who were all waiting their turn to entertain the hot-tempered 5 foot and 7 inches tall emperor. Not long after did the horrendous puppet show end with a sour note that they had to draw the curtains, though the emperor himself was entertained nonetheless.

"Bravo! Bravo! Encore! Encore!" cheered Napoleon, clapping and applauding loudly. The stage manager nervously emerged from behind the curtains with the best smile he could muster.

"Thank you. Thank you!" He said, taking a bow. "I-I now present to you, mon empereur, Zuzu and Benny!"

The curtains were drawn to reveal the next performers; a duo of costumed, makeup-adorned jesters to entertain his eminence. Though, he didn't seem impressed. The stage manager chuckled weakly and summoned another performer. Basically a circus strongman of sorts.

"T-T-Then how about t-the Great R-Rambonzo! Lifts the heavy things 50 times his weight!"

Napoleon was still not satisfied and the stage manager was running low on ideas at the moment. Standing with the rest of the performers backstage, Max thought back to an old Disney movie he used to watch when he was little. There was that one part in the movie that he loved the most. He sang it in his head a lot. Deciding to take over for the entertainment, he swipes a mandolin from one of the chalky-faced performers and marched onto stage, pushing aside the others already on there while the stage manager stepped aside wondering what this strange man was doing. Napoleon, as well, was confused by Max's supposed display of eagerness to perform and waited. Remembering those music lessons, he remembered the lyrics word-for-word and sang.

 _ **Max: One minute, I'm in Central Park  
** **Then, I'm down on Delancey Street  
** **Said, from the Bow'ry to St. Marks  
** **There's a syncopated beat.**_

 _ **Right.**_

 _ **I said, whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo!  
** **I'm streetwise, I can improvise  
** **I said, whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo!  
** **I'm street-smart, I've got New York City heart**_

The soldiers standing guard near Napoleon and witness the peculiar, yet enticing stage act Max was putting on, they were about to rush over to drag him from the stage, but they were soon halted by Napoleon, who wanted to hear the rest of the magnificent song.

 _ **Why should I worry?  
** **Why should I care?  
** **I may not have a dime  
** **But I got street savoir-faire**_

 _ **Why should I worry?  
** **Why should I care?  
** **It's just be-bopulation  
** **And I got street savoir-faire**_

The rest of the performers watched Max's singing act perplexed. Despite not understanding the lyrics, they soon started to bop their heads along with the song and began to dance onto the stage with him. The orchestra followed suit, playing along with the music Max was playing on the mandolin.

 _ **The rhythm of the city  
** **But once you get it down  
** **Said, then you can own this town  
** **You can wear the crown!**_

 _ **Why should I worry?** **Tell me  
** **Why should I care?  
** **I said, I may not have a dime. Oh!  
** **But I got street savoir-faire**_

 _ **Why should I worry?  
** **Why should I care?  
** **It's just doo-bopulation  
** **And I got street savoir-faire**_

 _ **They love me at the Chelsea!  
** **They adore me at the Ritz!**_

 _ **Why should I worry?  
** **Why should I care?  
** **And even when I cross that line  
** **I got street savoir-faire.**_

 _ **Whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo  
** **I said, whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo  
** **Whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo  
** **Whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo  
** **Whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo  
** **Whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo  
** **I said, whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo  
** **Whoo, hoo, whoo, hoo, hoo**_

Max and everyone else on stage sang out the rest of the ending chorus and both their singing and the music faded as it went along and the stage director quickly drew curtains without giving everyone a chance to bow to an applause. Napoleon and his men all cheered, clapped and shouted with delight from their performance. Needless to day, it was better than the emperor had ever seen. Meanwhile backstage, Max thanked the other performers for joining in and returned the mandolin before turning to the stage manager.

"Well, uh, what do you think?" He asked him.

Without answering, the stage manager trembled and gulped, growing pale from fright with droplets of perspiration leaking down his face. He had an inkling that this was the end of the line for him, believing that the emperor didn't enjoy it before grabbing some rope and using it to tie a noose around his neck, ready to take his own life at the emperor's command. But when the emperor himself entered, he instead kissed the manager on both cheeks in approval and grinned at Max.

"Splendid! _Magnifique!_ I've never had a show like zhat in all my life!" Napoleon announced with glee. "The best zhing in my whole champaign! I came to conquer Italy because I thought zhey were all small."

"Sir, I do believe zhere are more important matters to ac-"

" _Silence!_ " barked the short, but powerful-in-mind emperor, disrupting his general's words. Napoleon turned to Max and replied, "I shall invite you for supper. We have much to discuss."

"Yes, sir." Max nodded with a pleased smile.

* * *

 **Everyone's finally located Father Time, but the trouble is, he doesn't believe Max is worthy or courageous enough to enter the Underworld to sniff out Krampus's hideout. So now he's making Max survive a lengthy test in different time eras across history to prove his bravery. I'll kinda be adding elements from the movie Time Bandits is this and future chapters as you can probably already tell. I really loved watching that movie as a kid and I figured it would make a good inspiration for later in the story. For those you are wondering, that "Why Should I Worry?" scene came right out of Oliver and Company. That song is a favorite of mine. Their are many people pestering me about continuing my other stories. Well, to be frank, I won't continue the others until I'm done with this. Is that clear for you?**

 **To Tina (Guest): Would it be too much trouble if you among others stop bugging me to continue of my stories and if you're going to add a review to one story, make it about the story you're writing that review in. Also, I'm having enough trouble finding the motivation to write the stories I have already as it is. So quit whining already and let me maintain my creativity!**

 **Anyway, firmness aside, I hope you've all enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to the next one. Thank you!**


	15. Like Father, Unlike Daughter

"Isn't zhat incredible?!" explained Napoleon, going on his life stories. "Alexander zhe Great, whose empire stretched from India to Hungary, once inch shorter zhan me."

Both him and Max shared a comfortable laugh for good few seconds before the diminutive emperor continued, "Oliver Cromwell, zhe only man with any _guts_ in British history...!" He slammed a fist on the table in anger upon spatting out the word "guts" with venom. "...Not a big man at all. At least not from my point of view. Louis IV, 5' 21/2. Charlemagne, a dumpy little five-footer. Squatty little champ. Attila zhe Hun, 51 11/2. Cyrano de Bergerac, 51' 31/2. Tamburlaine zhe Great, 4 ft. 9..."

That night, Max and Napoleon were seated at a long, extravagant dinner table in the dining room with a massive collection of mouth-watering dishes and lit candles on candelabras and surrounded by priceless and glorious mountains of golden treasure; crowns, jewelry, cups and the like. Max fed upon his supper while covering his eyes to protect them from the dim rays of sparkles the golden items in the room.

While Napoleon went on about other famous people's sizes from his perspective, Max wondered how long this test was gonna last before he and his friends could reach the Underworld. But he was a fighter and he was doing this for his family as he reminded himself over and over. He'll just have to play along as long as he can before the deadline.

"Well, enough of about me." Napoleon finished his spiel. "I never caught your name."

Max froze and gulped when this question broke through. He thought hard about whether to tell him his real name or use a fake name to cover his tracks. But then he heard Father Time speak to him telepathically, given him a suggestion.

 _"Ubertino Albergotti."_

"...My name is Ubertino Albergotti. I'm from Venice." Max blurted out to the small French tyrant of a ruler.

"Well, Monsieur Albergotti, regarding your lyrics, what is zhis New York City and ze...streets?" asked Napoleon about the song Max sang.

"Let's just say that I'm from somewhere far away." Was the only best answer Max could provide.

"Fair enough." Napoleon nodded sipping some wine.

"So listen, I, uh, hope you don't mind, but I not gonna be around for very long. If anything, I'd like to be back with my...uh, wife and kids as soon as possible." Max tried to explain while trying to distract himself from the blinding light the gold was hitting his eyes with.

"Is that so? And how soon may I ask?" Napoleon asked, looking directly at him. They were sitting at either ends of the table so they were only a few feet from each other.

"Three days time, give or take." Max explained.

"I understand, I understand. But in zhe meantime, you just stick with me and entertain me until zhen and I'll let you go your merry way." Napoleon proposed with honesty.

"Yes, emperor." nodded Max.

* * *

The next day, Napoleon Bonaparte launched his army on the front lines while returning to Paris, France with Max, who kept his word about entertaining the French emperor and military commander for the time being until it was time for him to move onto the next era. It was the afternoon when they arrived and when Napoleon got bored, Max would sing him a new song, each one from his memory of listening to different songs on his playlist, just to keep the short man satisfied. That night, Napoleon gave him time off and let him explore the town of Paris. Max got to see the sights and everything before a young black-haired woman spoke to him as he walked by.

"So I hear you caught zhe emperor's interest, did you not?" She asked, giving Max a teasing smirk, catching him off guard.

"Who told you that?" asked Max, surprised that this woman was speaking to him out of the blue.

"Words spread around Paris like wildfire." The woman answered walking up to him. "An Italian man, I presume. They're so much more hunkier than I imagined."

Max swallowed his saliva for the moment as he took a step back. Was this woman flirting with him? He's never had an luck with girls before, even at school. None of them ever asked him out before.

"Don't shy away from me, _pamplemousse_." said the scandalous French prostitute with a grin. "I don't bite. Much."

"I-I-I...what...yo-..what's your name?" asked Max, his hormones interfering with his communication skills as a result. The woman nonchalantly smirked at his reaction.

"Colette. Colette Bourguignon." replied Colette. "Care for me to keep you zhe company? I'm a generous girl."

"Please, mademoiselle, I have a wife and kids." Max lied, trying to deter her from making inappropriate advances towards him, since, even though he was an adult now, he was still a child on the inside and he was still too young for this sort of thing.

"What your wife doesn't know won't kill her." Colette grinned, not backing down.

"Madame, please!" Max backed away, giving her a hard glare. "We just met a second ago and we do this, there's no going back for me. I have my wife to think about and I just can't cuddle up to some...harlot just because she asks me nicely."

"You're right." Colette nodded in a defeated tone, bowing her head. "Forgive me, _monsieur_. I'm a very naughty girl and I just can't control myzelf sometimes."

"I get that you have urges and desires that need to be met, but try getting to know a man first before you throw yourself at him." Max explained to her strictly.

" _Oui_ , I will try." She gave an understood nod. "But I'm a prostitute. It's my duty. My job."

"There can be other jobs." Max reminded her honestly.

"Like what?" Colette asked disbelievingly, putting her hand on her hips.

"I don't know. You'll just have to look and see. I should probably head back now. Gotta get some sleep. Goodnight to you, madam." Max turned his back to head back to the palace Napoleon was allowing him to stay at, leaving the prostitute girl in deep thought.

* * *

Returning to the group back at Father Time's fortress, it's been only half a minute since Max departed on his test and everyone was chilling in the lobby while awaiting Max to get back. Sariatu was a bit afraid for the boy's safety like any mother should, but had faith regardless. Jack stayed positive that whatever test the old keeper of all time was putting Max through was worth proving his courage to enter the Underworld. They decided to find some way to pass the time before Max got back 2 hours later. But what was there to do. Bloom decided at that moment to ask Héctor to share his music with them.

"Héctor?" She asked.

" _Sí_?" He responded, looking at her.

"You're a musician, right?" asked Bloom, staring at him with eyes of expectation.

"I was." answered Héctor, looking away. "It's the main reason I suffered my fate."

"Can you sing us a song?" Bloom requested eagerly.

" _No_." He refused, staring somberly at his boney bare feet. "I don't sing or do music anymore. Those days are long behind me now."

"Come on, please? Just one song. That's all I ask." Bloom pleaded.

Sariatu presented him with her shamisen for him to use as the instrument needed to perform a tune for them. Héctor sighed, deciding that they weren't gonna take no for an answer and accepted the shamisen. He thought about only one song as he began strumming away a tune that he remembered a long time ago.

"I sang this to my Coco once before I left." He replied before singing.

 _ **Héctor: Remember me**_  
 _ **Though I have to say goodbye**_  
 _ **Remember me**_  
 _ **Don't let it make you cry**_  
 _ **For even if I'm far away I hold you in my heart**_  
 _ **I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart**_

 _ **Remember me**_  
 _ **Though I have to travel far**_  
 _ **Remember me**_  
 _ **Each time you hear a sad guitar**_  
 _ **Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be**_  
 _ **Until you're in my arms again**_  
 _ **Remember me**_

 _ **Que nuestra canción no deje de latir**_  
 _ **Solo con tu amor yo puedo existir**_  
 _ **Recuérdame**_  
 _ **Que nuestra canción no deje de latir**_  
 _ **Solo con tu amor yo puedo existir**_  
 _ **Recuérdame**_

 _ **Si en tu mente vivo estoy**_  
 _ **Recuérdame**_  
 _ **Mis sueños yo te doy**_  
 _ **Te llevo en mi corazón y te acompañaré**_  
 _ **Unidos en nuestra canción**_  
 _ **Contigo ahí estaré**_  
 _ **Recuérdame**_

 _ **Si sola crees estar**_  
 _ **Recuérdame**_  
 _ **Y mi cantar te irá a abrazaru**_  
 _ **Aun en la distancia nunca vayas a olvidar**_  
 _ **Que yo contigo siempre voy**_  
 _ **Recuérdame**_

 _ **If you close your eyes and let the music play**_  
 _ **Keep our love alive, I'll never fade away**_  
 _ **If you close your eyes and let the music play**_  
 _ **Keep our love alive, I'll never fade away**_  
 _ **If you close your eyes and let the music play**_  
 _ **Keep our love alive, I'll never fade away**_

 _ **Remember me**_  
 _ **For I will soon be gone**_  
 _ **Remember me**_  
 _ **And let the love we have live on**_  
 _ **And know that I'm with you the only way that I can be**_  
 _ **So until you're in my arms again**_  
 _ **Remember me!**_

 _ **Que nuestra canción no deje de latir**_  
 _ **Solo con tu amor yo puedo existir**_  
 _ **Remember me**_  
 _ **Que nuestra canción no deje de latir**_  
 _ **Solo con tu amor yo puedo existir**_  
 _ **Remember me**_

The most emotional song they ever heard and everyone felt touched by his lyrics. The graceful strokes of the strings as his skeletal fingers delicately plucked at them along with his soft and soothing singing voice to match. Bloom was the most moved as she smiled tearfully at him for singing her that song and she actually shed a tear that ran down her cheek. It broke her heart to think that he wrote that for his daughter and sang it to her before having to leave to share his music to the world.

"That was beautiful." said a tiny female voice from somewhere that was followed by a collection of quiet shushing. Everyone looked all around to find the source before Jack realized that it was coming from the lunch bag on a strap that Max brought along with him on the trip. They all shared a knowing stare before Jack grabbed the bag and opened it up to reveal the fairy assistants of Mother Nature hiding inside. They all shared a frightened gasp at being spotted before Jack threw them out of the bag in annoyance, making them all hover in the air.

"Really, now! Is that any way to treat a lady?" snapped Rosetta in offense with his fists on her wide hands.

"What are you all doing here?" demanded Sariatu.

"Yeah, Mother Nature isn't going to be too happy about this, you know." Bunny scolded them like a parent reprimanded their children to sneaking out at night.

"Actually,..." Fawn began with a nervous cringe on her face, rubbing her arm. "...Mother Nature assigned us to tag along with you guys."

"What?" Maui spat. "What for?"

"She wants us to keep an eye on you guys." Vidia answered seriously.

"And maybe lend an extra hand if necessary." Silvermist added.

"Are you kidding?! No way!" shouted Bunny angrily. "In case you haven't heard already, we're going into the Underworld, which is no place safe for fairies like you. It's just too dangerous."

"So we've heard." sighed Iridessa. "I didn't really want to come along myself, but either way, I have no choice."

"Look, we're just doing what we were told, okay? We didn't mean to stow away in our bag without your permission or knowledge, but we have orders." Tinker Bell explained with a high amount of unusual strictness that sounded unlike her.

"Yeah." Silvermist agreed. "And we can't just disobey her. She's like a mother to us."

"Where's the boy?" asked Rosetta, eyes darting all around the room in search of Max.

"Father Time is putting him through a difficult test through history in order to prove he's brave enough to enter the Underworld." explained Héctor.

"He has to go 51 days through 17 time eras without coming close to dying or else he'll fail the test." Mavis concluded.

"Is he really?" asked Fawn with surprise. "He's actually putting a young child through that kind of thing just see how brave he is? Oh! The nerve!"

"Father Time says he's not a child when he arrived there." replied Sariatu.

"He made Max into an adult for safety measures, I believe." Bunny brought up.

"Say, while we're talking about Mother Nature, what did she mean by her father's forces?" asked Maui asked them.

"We don't have any way of explaining this, but the Boogeyman, Pitch, he's her father." explained Tink, earning a look of shock from everyone in the room, minus Jack and Bunny, who already knew this revelation.

* * *

Mother Nature was nurturing her own personal garden in her biome with maternal care and not a care in the world. As long as nobody found her secret biome easily, her plants and environment would be safe from harm and danger. But suddenly, that didn't last long. For she sensed a strange presence sneaking around her that she didn't recognize as an ally or even friendly as a whole. Something didn't smell right. Although, she didn't have the time to investigate for she suddenly felt an unexpected painful feeling in her body as if the inside of her was being ripped apart, making her scream in agony and double over from the excruciating pain. The presence got closer to her and she managed to see that it was Pitch, her father, standing before her inside of her personal biome and crumbling a flower in his hand hard.

"Hello...father." She wheezed from the tight pain inside her as she eyed the one person she never hoped to ever see again.

"Hello, Emily Jane." Pitch greeted without hiding the hatred in his voice, letting the pieces of the flower fall from his hand and onto the ground, adding insult to injury.

"How did you get here?" She hissed demandingly.

"I had a little help from a new friend of mine." Pitch introduced Raiden who was standing just behind her. "Meet my new associate, Raiden the Moon King."

"You vermin!" Mother Nature growled with fury before the Moon King picked her up and threw her across the land with tremendous strength for an older gentleman. Pitch only stood their, observing with glee with the Moon King abused his daughter this way.

"She is quite the handful." Raiden remarked sadistically.

"Couldn't say it better myself." chuckled Pitch who causally stepped over before Mother Nature on the ground who struggled to stand up. "Apologies for stepping in without knocking, my dear, but I hear tell of that you had hand in helping that troublesome boy and those irritating spirit friends of his find that old crone. Is this true?"

"What do you want with that boy anyway?" Mother Nature gasped and winced.

"He's trying to rescue his family from the Underworld, a complete waste of bravery and he's perfect to feed fear off of. Not only that, but it's also my opportunity to get back at those dismal Guardians and the Man in the Moon for everything they put me through! All it takes to break down that child's spirit and hope and that'll be enough to resurge my strength to become the most powerful."

"Father, please...!" begged Mother Nature before he slapped a hand over her mouth tightly, adding more pain.

"Don't you dare address me that way. I should just kill you right now!" Pitch glared at her with a predatory gaze as through ready to slay her right where she stood without mercy, but hesitated when he looked her in those deep, blue eyes of her and faltered lamely. "If you didn't have your mother's eyes. But if you don't tell me now, all of your precious plants and trees will burn if you don't tell me where they are now."

Mother Nature gasped in fear of her biome's life and well-being and knew she was in a lesser of two evils situation right now. It was either speak the truth or let her plants get it.

"They're not on Earth or in this universe anymore. They've already made it." Mother Nature blurted out.

"To where? Father Time?" asked Pitch, hoping for a right answer.

"Y-Yes." She squeezed.

Pitch gently approached her with a calm, eerie smile decorating his lips and softly caressed her black hair while she whimpered.

"That bedtime story I told you a long time ago." He began with soft tone, coming awfully close to her face. "The one about the girl who believe she could grow a garden with the power of love? I never did tell you how it really ended, did I?" His daughter's only answer was a wordless shake of her head. "Well, the little girl was joyous as she was carefree. It was her love for her own garden that kept it alive. Not a drop of rain, not a ray of sunshine. All she needed was love and a little faith. Nothing would harm her delicate, beautiful flowers as long as she cared for like a mother would a child. However, one thing to know about love, it was full of surprises, both tender and less so. For the girl knew that she'd have to grow up one day. And when she did, she met a handsome young man and married him, hoping to have a child eventually. Unfortunately for her, she was infertile, which meant she was unable to give birth to someone she could offer her love to like she did to her garden. Overtime, she drowned her own sorrows in booze, lost all hope and faith before dying a broken heart. And as a result, without any love to share, the poor, poor garden rotted and wilted away into _nothing!_ "

The last sentence of his tale were grunted out with venomous fury as he shot a blast of black sand at a thick tree branch, which tore it right off and in response, Mother Nature screamed with pain, kneeling over and clutching herself.

"You can see for yourself, Emily Jane." Pitch said to her sinisterly. "No amount of love and care is going to keep your garden alive. You just have to accept that nothing lasts forever, not even life itself. So you can just sit and watch while your whole world is engulfed into permanent darkness. No more sunshine to grow your beloved plants. Nothing but cold darkness everywhere!"

"But if you block out the sun and kill all the plants, the earth would be in danger." warned Mother Nature.

"So worth it." Pitch teased, poking fun at her misery.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, he was zapped by a powerful struck of lightning and saw that Mother Nature's children have come to their mother's aid, ready to defend her. Pitch merely chuckled at this and sent his Nightmares after them. They all fought back with their weather powers. Black sand was shot at with lightning, thundering clap, windy breath and fire, everything nature-related based on their forms of weather. Pitch and Raiden fought back as well with their black scythe and katanas, respectively. Finally after all the fighting, the duo of villains stood before the weather children to see they remain their battle stance, panting from all the exercise.

"I must say, my grandchildren have grown up fast and they take after their mother quite well. Too bad it won't help you come the time when darkness falls and nothing will be the same every again. Fear will rule and I will be all powerful!"

Raiden grabbed Pitch and together, they both vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

 **Max will be at this test for a while, but it won't last too long. I promise you. I just thought it would be cool to see Max go from one time period to another. Anyway, so you all know that Mother Nature is the daughter of Pitch just like from the books. I just added that song "Remember Me" that Héctor saying from the movie, Coco.**

 **To Tina (Guest): Show some respect. Father Time wasn't there to see Max survive enough dangers to come find him. And he's only trying to see for himself if a child his age can enter the Underworld and survive. What would you have done in a situation like that?**

 **So go ahead and review or PM me. I'll be ready with the next chapter real soon.**


	16. Santa Claus vs Krampus

**Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters used in this story or their source material. And I certainly don't own Time Bandits either. This is just for fun. Now, in case you all are wondering, I plan to show Max go through all seventeen of the eras. But relax, I'll do my best to keep a few of them short and brief for your sake. Now I don't know very much about history and I'm reciting them the best I can. So go ahead and read and tell me what you think.**

* * *

 _ **THE MIDDLE AGES**_  
 _ **The Scottish Highlands**_  
 _ **1300**_

It was as if the environment all around Max was coming alive. Everything was shifting into a wide array of varying colors until he was no longer in that bed he was in, but was now in a woodsy landscape, surrounded by trees. The clothes he was wearing had changed as well. Gone from that Renaissance appeal to medieval garb with a plaited kilt. The Middle Ages this was, indeed. Medieval times. Max wondered where he was going to start as it seemed this forest went on for hours. He decided to hike down to navigate through the Scottish woods until he could locate a populated area of some kind. But then there came the galloping sound of hooves racing across the ground. Max looked all around to see where it was coming from and found a couple of men riding their horses towards him. One of them, a bearded man in a medieval kilt of his own and adorning armor over his upper torso, halted his horse just in front of Max and the rest followed his example.

"Whit are ye doin way oot here, laddie?" asked the bearded man. "Are ye lost?"

"Aye, Ah am." Max nodded, mentally realizing he was speaking in a Scottish accent against his will, hoping these people will help him out. "Ah'm tryin tae find ma way back tae civilization, but ma navigation skills arenae ower helpful."

The men stared at each other and giving each other knowing nods as if signing to each other that this stranger was no enemy.

"Whit is yer name?" inquired the bearded man.

 _Iàcob Eabarcrombaigh._

"A'm Iàcob Eabarcrombaigh." answered Max.

"Call me Robert de Brus, dear fellow." responded bearded man known as Robert the Bruce as he offered Max his hand. Max grabbed it and Robert helped him climb onto the horse with him and then they all rode their horses through the trees until they made it to a small village of poor young souls who Robert has looked after ever since the English invaded. The great, stone-built Turnberry Castle where Robert was meant to rule is now occupied by King Edward of England. Robert and his fellow knights had to defend their people at all costs. Once they brought their horses to the stables, another bearded man approached Max with a look of distrust.

"Who be ye?" He demanded the Scotsman. "Ye're not from around here, are ye?"

"A'm juist a traveller, sir." Max concurred honestly.

"Well, Ah dinnae know ye, but Ah'm no feart 'o ye, ye noggin' dafty!" The man roughly declared, putting Max a little bit on edge.

"Calm yerself, William." Robert stiffly ordered his comrade. "Ah found him lost and alone in the woods. Iàcob, meet ma guid friend, Sir William Wallace. Ah foucht by his side against King Edward."

"Nice tae meet you." said Max.

"Forgive me, lad. But dinnae be surprisit gin it's difficult tae trust new people. We've been under siege by thae bloody English for lord knows hou long! Ye niver knew wha coud be an English in disguise!" explained William.

"Dinnae strain yourself, William. Give the man his space." said a woman who wondered up to the three men.

"Thare ye are, Elizabeth. Care tae find Iàcob here some suitable accommodations?" Robert asked his love, Elizabeth de Burgh.

"Of course. Come this way." gestured Elizabeth for Max to follow her and he did as he was told. Walking through the crowd of Scots folks going about their business, Elizabeth brought him to a building next door to the blacksmith and there was a room at the top floor with a comfortable bed and a mirror on the wall, a window with a view of the village below, everything.

"Whit were ye doin oot in the woods?" asked Elizabeth out of nowhere.

"It's hard tae explain. Ah woke up in the middle 'o the forest an Ah dinnae remember much before thon." Max explained to the best of his ability as he rested on the bed.

"Well, folks like ye shouldnae be oot thare in the forest by yourself. The English have already assumit power ower half 'o Scotland. Thon's why we're here now in this tiny village. But it wonae be long before King Edward an his army sally forth. Thare will be a war comin. A war 'o domination."

"Ah have na intention tae ficht." Max responded.

"Dinnae stress ower it. Try tae rest yourself. See ye whan ye have yer strength back." Elizabeth told him and took her leave, leaving Max alone in his new room. Max thought back to the movie, Braveheart, which starred Mel Gibson as Sir William Wallace. Although, that film wasn't exactly all too historically accurate. There were some scenes that would've never happened in the real medieval times during William's life. As he sat there on the soft mattress in the wooden bedpost, Max was confronted by another projection of Father Time.

 _"I see you're settling in already."_ He said. _"As you already know, you're in the Middle Ages. The Scottish Highlands. As of now, England has invaded Scotland and King Edward I is close to going to war. Try to fight by Robert's side."_

Before Max could say anything, the old timekeeper had vanished. He never had the thought of ever fighting in any war. Come the next morning, there came the announcing trumpeting of a horn to signal the presence of a royal figure, which pulled Max from dreams as he staggered from the bed and looked out the window to see that the sea of villagers crowding the place down below. William entered the room in a rush from behind him.

"Ye're awake already!" He cried.

"Whit's going on?" asked Max.

After the horns died down, there came the prominent and pompous appearance of King Edward of England astride his royal steed with his gallant knights by his side while the English parade stood before the Scottish villagers as they witness them with eyes of fright and hatred.

"Apologizes for my sudden influx, dear Scotsmen and Scotswomen, but I here come in search of the one they call Robert the Bruce." announced Edward to the crowd of Scots, who were all taking a step back from the ruthless king. Max joined Robert and William outside as he watched the former squeeze through the villagers and stood before the one they called Longshanks with eyes of contempt.

"Ah, there you are!" The king cried. "I was wondering where you ended up in, Lord de Brus."

"Whit are ye doin here, Edward?" demanded Robert.

"What's King Edward to you! I'm here to speak business with you at once."

Not only a minute later, Robert had reluctantly taken Edward with him to speak privately at one of the village buildings. Edward was a ruthless and temperamental ruler when it came to power over people and basically anything he wanted.

"All I ask is for soldiers from my armies, Lord de Brus. Because I'm most certainly aware that a few Scotsman are quite infamous for their bravery, their brute physiques and stunning charisma. They'd make such fine soldiers."

"Ah know thon's all ye've come tae speir 'o us." Robert retorted with distrust.

"Indeed it isn't. I only request for a small number of things. May I suggest taxes and perhaps some homage or a combination thereof." Edward continued. "We don't really need to fight. However, allow to remind you that I am the king and my demands will be met should they be denied."

"Well, king or na king, us Scots folks have our own land an ye have yours. Whatever amount 'o soldiers ye need, ye have already an is on yer territory." Robert barked, crossing his arms.

"You have a courageous spirit, my lord and you have my best regards. But when a ruler such as myself demands, he receives no matter what." informed Edward sharply, looking him dead in the eye. "And if you honestly wish to be king yourself soon, predictable as it may be, you'd understand the terms and conditions one must abide."

"Let me tell you something back, Longshanks." spat Robert, using the king's nickname with a hint of venom. "We will niver be boucht or intimidatit by the likes 'o ye. Ye'll niver tak anythin' from us. No now, no ever. An we ficht for it gin we must. Sae the answer is no."

Edward's temper flared like firecrackers at the Scottish prince's words. Further angered by his refusal, he smacked the cup he was drinking out of onto the ground, spilling the half-finished wine all over the wooden floors. Even the commanding officers by Edward's side backed away a step at their ruler's sudden tantrum. Robert stood his ground, unfazed by Edward's livid fit.

"If it's a war you want, then it's a war you shall have." Edward growled before standing up. "I as well will not stop fighting for what I need as much as I declare it."

After the conniving king of England left without looking at the Scot twice or thinking of a good retort back, it was settled. If the English were going to war with them, then so be it. Max spoke with him after the king departed the village and asked to come along, saying that he's had battle experiences. And flattered, Robert was pleased to have him by his side. The next morning, Edward and his army took the village under siege without warning. Robert, Max, William and the other Scottish knights got into their suits of armor and took their horses out to fight them back. Both sides faced each other for a small moment of silence on their horses. Max gulped, but stayed strong as he readied himself. This was the first time he would be in an actual war.

Then, erupting in a chorus of loud war cries, the English charged forward on their steeds with their swords and shields as did the Scottish. And just like that, it became an instead battlefield. Both respective armies fought each other, slashing and clashing their swords at one another, trying to end their opponents. Max expected to be terrible at this, but because he was no an adult, he wasn't doing too horrible. Although everything around him extremely graphic that no child should see, he fought back the sick feeling in his gut and had no choice but to kill or be killed. Fighting side by side with both Robert and William, Max laid waste to many English enemies and he didn't back down or surrender. It was finally done. The Scottish had succeeded in their little skirmish with the English. Max and the two Scottish military warriors eyed the surviving Edward on his horse with what's left of his army.

He gave them all a look of hatred, signing that this was not over by a long shot. The Scottish, though slightly diminished in numbers by how much met their demise to the English, were victorious. That night, Robert and the other celebrated their success by having a drink down at the bar of the village. Max overheard Father Time's voice saying that he was now immune to the effect of alcohol and drugs. So Max tried some mead for the heck of it.

"Ye foucht well, Iàcob. Niver took ye for a warrior." Robert complimented, placing a hand on Max's shoulder.

"Everyone has tae defend themselves in some way by any means necessary." Max expressed with a shrug.

"Oh, ye haed a touch battle, lad. Drink some more, then. We insist." William encouraged with an east demeanor and Max shook his head with a smile and together, him and all of the Scottish knights took a real long swig of their mead. They all belched and shared a humorous roar of laughter. But then suddenly, midnight approached and it was time for the next era. Everything shifted around Max almost completely out of nowhere.

* * *

 ** _MYCENAEAN GREECE_**  
 ** _Mycenae_**  
 ** _1299 B.C._**

Max fell to the ground as the stool he sat on disappeared and he was on his back in some kind of desert wearing new clothes. It appeared to be a Greek toga. Max stood up and rubbed his back after falling on it. Looking over the expanse of sandy grounds, he wondered where he was now.

"What is this? When am I now?" He asked to no one in particular before he realized he was using his real accent again.

 _"This is Mycenaean Greece."_ said Father Time's projection. _"And in soon, the Trojan War will occur. You must be prepared for it. And since you've made it this far in your little journey, I dearly congratulate you."_

After he gave a smile of approval, he was gone in seconds. Then Max overheard the sound of banging not too far ahead. So he dashed over to where it was coming from. Peering from behind a large boulder, he was a one-on-one battle going one between a warrior adorned in Greek battle armor and helmet with a sword and shield that was being bashed with a wooden club by his opponent who certainly wasn't human. It looked like a giant bipedal creature of humanoid stature with the head of an ferocious bull that was repeatedly fighting the unknown brave warrior with it's weapon of choice, roaring with effort as it did so. Max was shocked to see such a creature in person, but not as much. He'd already faced a giant coconut crab in an undersea realm of monsters.

The minotaur kept waving his club while the warrior hacked at it with his sword, delivering several cuts that made it squeal in pain, but the minotaur held it's ground. The warrior screamed a war cry as he charged at the beast with his sword about ready to give it the finishing blow, but the minotaur intercepts his aim by grabbing his sword and delivering a mighty slam of his club, knocking the warrior to the ground. He tried to get up, but he collapsed on the ground, exhausted. He couldn't go on. With it's opponent down and weak, the minotaur approached and raise it's club. Max suddenly felt worried before he realized he needed to help him.

He grabbed a rock on the ground and ran to the scene just as the monster was about to finish the worn-out warrior off and chucked it at it's head, making it turn it's focus on him now. As the minotaur swung it's weapon at Max to kill him, the warrior regained his energy and saw that his enemy was being distracted by a stranger. Seizing the opportunity, he got back up and ran forward as the minotaur's back was turn and stabbed it in the back with his sword, driving it right through it's chest as it screamed with great agony before it finally dropped on the ground, dead as a stone. Max and the warrior both panted as the latter removed his sword from the dead body, covered in blood. The warrior faced Max finally.

"Where did you come from?" He asked under his mask.

"I..."

"Have the gods sent you?" inquired the warrior. "Zeus? Ares? Hephaestus? Athena?"

"Uh, no. I just came passing by when I overheard everything, really." Max explained himself as the warrior removed his helmet to reveal a man with a thick beard underneath, sweating and tired from the battle.

"What is your name?"

 _Onesiphorus._

"Onesiphorus is my name." Max answered.

"I am King Agamemnon of Mycenae." Agamemnon introduced with great virtue.

"What was that thing?" Max asked, pointing at the dead beast.

"A minotaur. Half man, half bull. Been reeking havoc on my people for quite some time." explained Agamemnon as he bent down with his sword and started to cut the minotaur's head off.

"Doesn't look like he'll be bothering anyone anymore." reasoned Max, but nearly gagged when the king lifted the minotaur's severed head up and observed it.

"Indeed." The brave king agreed, walking over to his horse with his collected treasure. "Why don't you come along? My kingdom's not too far away from here."

"Oh, sure." Max nodded and got on his horse with him. Within thirty minutes of the trip, they came upon a large city where he ruled. The kingdom of Mycenae in all it's glory. Penetrating the sound barrier was the loud trumpeting of some sort of large horn, which could be, without doubt, a means of alerting the city's citizens of the return of their valiant king. Agamemnon brought Max with him through his city as the denizens crowded the two and cheered over their ruler's arrival. Very soon, while standing high above the ground to look down upon his people and carrying the minotaur's head, he gestured Max to come by his side.

"You saved my life remember?" He said to him softly and Max nodded. Agamemnon raised the severed head high above his head before announcing at the top of his lungs, "The enemy of the people is dead!"

And with that, he threw the thing down as he and everyone else watched it plummet straight to the ground and the denizens rejoiced, erupting into a celebratory cheer, praising their king for his heroic deed. Agamemnon had robes placed on him as he let his people bask in his glory.

"Hail, King Agamemnon!"

* * *

While North sat in his workshop carving up ice blocks into toy models, he sensed something was off around her workshop. The atmosphere felt tense and sour and the air outside was filled with wild, blisters winds and rapidly falling snow as an unexplained snowstorm appeared out of nowhere. North knew his couldn't be Jack's doing as he was busy helping Max out. No, this was the work of someone else. Someone familiar to him. As he narrowed his thick eyebrows, he, in his right mind, knew what this meant.

He is here.

Arming himself with his trademark blades, he maneuvered out of his office to usher all of his workers, both yeti and elf alike, to a far section of the workshop until he deemed it safe to return to their posts. With the crowds of elves and giant yetis disappearing from sight upon their boss's orders. North quietly made his way over to the front entrance to the fortress to watch the doors furiously flapping open and shut from the powerful winds and waited with his blades behind his back. After a minute, the doors flung open, letting in all the cold air and frenzied snowfall. But North payed no mind to it at all. Not even when the one person he wouldn't even dream of seeing again for so long was standing right there, staring directly at him with his dark eyes through the eyeholes of that grotesque old man mask of his. North stared back with a calm facade that hid his burning hatred.

"I have come home, my old friend." Krampus greeted with a noticeable degree of taunting charisma that made North's grudge against him harden even more. "It's been so very long."

"This isn't your home anymore. You are no longer welcome here. And we are no longer friends." North responded stiffly, not putting his guard down for a mere second.

"Oh, of course it is. I was brought here from the very start." Krampus said in a matter-of-factly voice. "Until I was put away for a long time."

"You made your choice long ago." hissed North.

"You expect so much of me, don't you?" teased Krampus with a dark chuckle. "So I'm here about this...Max. He's coming to help his family, is he not?"

"This battle is between you and me only." North piped, cutting to the chase with a hard glare, tightening his grip on his blades. Krampus appeared to blink at his former ally's response, baffled by his relentlessness to keep him subdued and away from his workshop.

"So that's how it is, eh?" harrumphed the Christmas Demon, turning his back on the Russian, though keeping his haunting stare on him. "That's how it's going to go down?"

"Indeed, it should." North remarked as he revealed his blades and took a battle stance, ready for whatever move he was going to make. Krampus eyed with with fury that was deadly increasing. If he was really going to fight him for the boy's sake, then so be it. With a terrifying roar, Krampus delivered a solid kick to the determined Russian with his hoof, sending him flying backwards a few feet and deeper into the workshop where the yetis worked, but North got back up and kept his hold on his swords. Krampus leaped inside and slowly approached, his chains rattling with every step he took while burning that firey look into his former friend's eyes.

"You and those wretched Guardians left me to rot in that miserable bottomless pit for 200 years all because I bent your rules only a tad bit!" Krampus thundered as he inched closer and stopped to give them both a meter or two away from each other.

"You made your choice long time ago!" screamed back North.

"It was my given duty to punish the naughty and give them what they deserve!" argued Krampus. "And it was you and the Horned God who made me this way! A walking nightmare! An unholy demon forced to abide by your annoying code of conduct!"

"We both agreed for you to keep your punishments to minimum! It was your job to discipline the children gently before you decided to have 'fun'! That wasn't my fault!" North bellowed.

"Not your fault?!" growled Krampus, his temper flaring dangerously as he starting knocking over tables in anger, throwing unfinished toys and other items he could find to toss at the armed Russian, all the while ranting, "Who cursed me into a monster?! Who bound me in chains and hooks since the very start?! _WHO DENIED ME MY DESTINY?!_ "

Krampus was now using the sharp hooks on his chains to attack the one known as Santa Claus while the latter deflected the incoming hooks with his blades and dodged every swing of the chains.

"It was never my decision to make!" North yelled, making Krampus roar with rage before the Christmas Demon full-on charged at North and pounced on him, which sent them both crashing through the wall, leaving a huge hole behind. North kicked him off and swung his swords at him while Krampus fought back with his chains. North brought his sword down on Krampus's head, but the goat demon caught the sword just in time and grabbed North's arm before tossing him to the side really far like a rag doll. North landed on a table of toy robots and broke the table and the toys as he landed on them. Krampus took a huge jump at him and stood over him.

"You sent that boy to kill me, didn't you?" Krampus hissed venomously. "How profound, even for you. He's never getting his family back. Not until only I decide they've learned their lesson. And if he ever reaches the Underworld, he and his friends will have to get through me first!"

North reached for one of Krampus's chains and yanked on it hard, sending the goat demon falling to the ground and when North stood back up, he grabbed another chain and, using his own strength, swung Krampus around the room, knocking him into pillars and everything to incapacitate his enemy. Then when Krampus fell to the floor, North yanked on the chain again, bringing Krampus to him before he delivered a solid punch to his face. After tumbling to the floor, Krampus found a golden bar on the floor and when North came at him with his blade, Krampus blocked his show with the bar and shoved him back before smacking him onto the ground with it. North was now worn out and exhausted from the vicious battle. As he struggled to sit up, his breath came in pants and wheezing. Krampus discards the bar and glances at his now-weakened opponent.

"Max...only...w-wants his family back. I-I never sent him...to kill you." North's voice was fragile now as he was now sapped of his energy and strength. "I only told him to a way to find his way to the Underworld. We all have our moments, Meinrad."

Krampus fought back a look of surprise when North uttered his real name; the name he used to have before he became who he is today. Breathing a sigh, Krampus turned to leave his weakened former friend there on the floor.

"The boy has a lot to learn before he can reach his family." Krampus remarked and he was gone just like that.

* * *

 **Hello, again. I inspired the scene off of the battle between Shifu and Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda. There will be more to come soon after, I assume you all. Stay perfectly calm, be as patient with me as you can and try not to freak out, okay? Imagine the adult Max being played by Oscar Isaac.**

 **To Tina (Guest): Would you believe that Father Time did know what Max and the group when through to get to him, he just needed further evidence that Max was capable of overcoming dangers by himself? Because that's what I'm going for.**

 **So just sit tight and I'll see you in the next chapter. Goodbye for now!**


	17. Max's Journey Through Time

Since then, Max was trained to fight in battle alongside Agamemnon in preparation for the war against the city of Troy. Now the plan was simple enough, if Max remember correctly from his history class in school, that they would build a large wooden horse and hide themselves inside it and pretend to offer it to the Trojans as a victory trophy. Once they were inside, they would take the Trojans by the element of surprise and commence their siege. The reason behind this is because Agamemnon's younger brother Menelaus, king of Sparta, discovered that his wife, Helen, eloped with the king of Troy, Paris and the latter claimed intolerable things, enraging the Mycenaean ruler and therefore declared war against them. It was nighttime when the predestined Trojan horse made its destination at the front gates of Troy. Max and the Achaeans, such as Achilles and Ajax, remained hidden inside of their subterfuge as Agamemnon gave them their motivational speech.

"Men, this is what we trained for." He announced proudly, adorned in his helmet and armor and armed with his sword and shield. "If Paris dares to insult my brother, then he is an enemy to all of us. Remember your training well. Never surrender to your opponent, never be afraid and never lower your weapon. Are we ready?"

The troops all gave out a small exclamation of determination and courage in response as they raised their swords and shields into the air.

"Now we just wait for the right moment and then we strike."

As if on cue, the sound of the gates opening entered the otherwise still air. The unsuspecting group of Trojan soldiers found the giant wooden horse structure just sitting there outside and against their better logic, they all rolled the humongous mysterious object into their city, unaware of what was to come. Once inside with the gates being closed shut, it was now their moment to strike. Kicking open a hatch on the side, the army of Achaeans made their presence known by charging out of their wooden disguise and raised hell on the unprepared city of Troy and his citizens. Soon, the Trojan soldiers fought back and then began the peak of the Trojan War itself. While Max was slashing his sword against Trojan warriors, everything morphed again as it reached midnight.

* * *

 _ **ANCIENT ROME  
Pompeii  
**_ _ **79 A.D.**_

Once he regained his bearings, Max noticed that he was now in Ancient Rome and he was now named _Ascalaphus_. He was just an ordinary citizen in the city of Pompeii. Of course, he knew what was to become of the ancient city eventually, but was to be prepared in case it occurred. During his time there, he met a young man named Milo was captured by the city's corrupt senator, Corvus, who he later reveals killed his mother when he was but a boy. Milo is in love with Cassia, the daughter of the city's governor, Severus. They were both captured by Corvus's men and forced to participate in a gladiator challenge.

There, they met a fellow gladiator champion, Atticus, who will be freed once he achieves one last victory. At the Amphitheatre of Pompeii, the tournament was began and Max and his fellow gladiators were to ride around in chariots drawn by horses and avoid dangers placed on the field like lions and elephants, as they were considered the most dangerous animals on the planet. Max had emerged victorious, but demanded that Milo be released from slavery. After some tense arguments, Severus agrees, much to Corvus's chagrin, and sets Milo free. The following day, Milo and Cassia start seeing each other more and Max goes with a scout to the top of Mt. Vesuvius, but along the way, the scout gets swallowed up when a quake cracks open the ground beneath his feet and Max barely escapes with his life, but makes it back in one piece nonetheless.

Max warns them of the volcano's unstable condition, but they think nothing about it. But when the moment finally came, it struck out of nowhere. It started with explosions that broke through the sound barrier like bricks smashing through glass windows or nuclear bombs penetrating anyone's ears the very second it hits the ground and emits a powerful ear-splitting noise that could deafen anyone out of it's blast radius. The air was filled with cloud of ash and fireballs blasting out of the volcano like projectile missiles from a military air strike. Mt. Vesuvius erupted powerfully and the citizens of Pompeii panicked and tried to escape the angered volcano, but the nature of the land claimed many of their unlucky lives. Milo, Cassia and Max helped survivors make their path away from the volcano spitting out a firey blanket of molten lava and the ash clouds transforming into lightning storms.

They were about a quarter away from the volcano, but then a pyroclastic surge pursued them in fast pace, capturing and killing many survivors in it's wake. Cassia stops as she realize that this was there final moments and, knowing that they cannot survive or outrun the surge, she and Milo share a final, loving embrace and kiss while Max watches as the surge petrifies their bodies, killing them both instantly and Max is shifted off to the next time period before the surge could reach him as well.

* * *

 ** _COLONIAL AMERICA  
_** ** _New England  
_** ** _1621_**

Now adorned in a New England style attire with the name _Jedediah Cunningham_ , Max found his way into an English settlement village and was given a temporary home with the town's reverend. His wife offered warned Max that there was witches afoot in their quiet, dismal town, though Max claimed that witches were merely stuff of myth and ghost stories. Granted, she should feel resentment for thinking little about it and judging her beliefs, but she knew that not everyone should have the same beliefs. But Max knew that back in those days, young women were accused of witchcraft because of some acts they committed that women weren't allowed to do back then. This coming from a boy from modern times where people were far past the mythical nonsense of witches, ghosts, demons, ancient curses as they were just that. Myths. Just stuff that you'd see in movies, TV shows and cartoons.

Cut to the next morning, the reverend was out on a mid-morning stroll when he bore witness to a group of young women dancing naked in the woods with a cauldron of a gruesome concoction of dead chicken innards. This lead to him and the rest of village accusing them all of witchcraft. They were to hang all five of them by the neck while everyone watched in sadistic glee as the so-called "witches" got their just desserts. Although Max pitied them all, especially the one girl who offered him food in the form of vegetables. Using his wits and quick-thinking, Max orchestrated a panic amongst the group by scaring everyone out of their wits and set off a makeshift smoke bomb. With the diversion made, Max quickly helped the girl out of her noose and they quickly made their getaway before anyone saw them. When they had gotten a mile away from the town, they stopped to catch their breath.

"I cannot thank you enough." The girl known as Sarah Wilkins said with gratefulness. "But you didn't need to do that."

"I'm just merely returning the favor, Miss Wilkins." Max told her.

"Just Sarah will do, if you please." Sarah responded.

"My mother had that name."

"Is that so?" She smiled.

"So where exactly should we go now?" asked Max, realizing that going back to town would not end well for either of them since they were obviously fugitives now.

"There's a colony just south of here called Plymouth. We should head there." suggested Sarah.

Together, they both collected a horse-drawn carriage and make their path towards their intended destination. It wasn't only a couple miles away and they finally made it to the first English settlement in Massachusetts since 1620. The townsfolk of Plymouth Colony were preparing for their feast to make peace with the Indians of the Wampanoag tribe in celebration of their first harvest. But first they needed to hunt the best looking turkey they could find. The governor, William Bradford, was announcing everything to his fellow colonists.

"Now as you all are aware, they only have enough food in storage to last us through winter." He deduced. "We need the Indians' help in providing us with more sustenance. If this feast doesn't bring us and them together, then nothing ever will."

"What feast?" Max asked Sarah.

"It's their first harvest and their last ditch effort to form a truce with the Wampanoag Indians." Sarah explained before a horde of men on horses trotted into the colony lead by a bearded man with a gun strapped on him.

"Ah, there you are, Captain Standish!" Bradford exclaimed with glee as he pushed his way though the crowd to meet up with the lead hunter. "I could really use some good news right about now."

"We nearly had those turkeys, governor. But they got away." replied Myles Standish with disappointment.

"Got away?!"

"They're sneaky little devils, they are." Standish came out with as he hopped off his horse to meet the colony leader face-to-face.

"I'll have you know, captain, that we are three days away from the big feast. If we come up with food for those Indians by then, I'm afraid it's it for us." Bradford explained strictly.

"I said I would get you turkeys, governor!" griped Standish. "But I never said it was going to be easy."

"You also mentioned you had a history of hunting experience."

"If I may, governor?" said Max as he approached them after squeezing through the mob of colonists. "My uncle was an experience hunter himself and I managed to learn a few tips from him. Perhaps I could lend a hand."

"And who are you?" asked Bradford.

"The name's Jedediah Cunningham." Max replied with dignity. "And if you want to capture a turkey, you need all the gunpowder and traps you could lay your hands on."

That being said, Standish agreed to allow Max to come along with his hunt for the best looking turkey they could find. One that could fill the bellies of both the colonists and the Indians once the big feast arrives. Hours later, they have been on their hunt with the help of their hound dogs to sniff out their game. Max recalled Howard bragging about his guns and hunting expertise time to time. A shepherd has to protect his flock, he would say. Another hour had gone by and just as Standish was about to give up and call it a day, Max suddenly caught sight of a large wild turkey in the distance just minding it's business. Together, they hid themselves in the tall grass and Standish gave him his gun.

Max's thoughts went back to the time when Howard took him out for a little bayonet practice once and the certain tips to follow. Steady your weapon, aim it right at the center, stay perfectly calm and when the time is right, fire. Max swallowed the spitball in his throat as he knew he had to take this innocent bird's life for the sake of the colonists. But it was that lesser of two evils situation in his case. So fighting back the sinking feeling in his gut, Max instantly pulled the trigger.

The wild turkey fell to the ground as the peaceful silence was disrupted by the ear-piercing sound of a gunfire. Standish rushed over to the scene to find the wild bird dead on the ground and was overjoyed. They caught and killed the best turkey. Returning to the colony with their prized game, everyone was glad with the excitement of a good-looking bird that would make the most delicious meal. The next day, the final day for Max, Bradford invited the Wampanoag Indians over to their colony for the big feast. Everyone loved the food on the big table and the spread, especially the turkey they cooked up. The Indians loved it as well and with that, peace remained between both sides and Chief Massasoit shook hands with Bradford when they signed a peace treaty stating thusly; "If anyone threatens [Massasoit] and his tribe, the Pilgrims shall go to war with them. If anyone threatens the Pilgrims, the Indians shall go to war with them".

"It's the very first Thanksgiving." exclaimed Max.

"Thanksgiving? Why, that quite a suitable name for it." Sarah smiled.

"Oh, I most certainly agree. A toast to both Pilgrims and Indians alike." Bradford announced as his raised his glass of wine for a toast. "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!"

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Everyone at the table shouted together and all clinked their glasses.

That night, while Max slept in his bed in the house he and Sarah were offered hospitality, the stroke of midnight rang the final moment of this era and Max was transported to the next time period.

* * *

 _ **THE RMS TITANIC**_  
 _ **The North Atlantic Ocean**_  
 _ **1912**_

Max was now standing inside of a luxurious cabin as it would seem and wearing a rather sharp looking attire this time. A black vest over a white button-up shirt and light grey dress pants and shiny black shoes. The grown-up Max wondered where and when he was now when there suddenly came a rap at the door.

"Uh, come in?" He answered. The door opened and in stepped a sophisticated butler-type gentleman.

"Good to see you are up and dressed, Mr. Fry." He spoke with a thick British accent.

"Um, yeah. Got to be up bright and early. Say, care to remind me where I am?" asked Max. "I seem to forget."

"You're on the RMS _Titanic_ , sir."

This brought a chill down Max's spine when he said that. It was on the ship that was known as the "Unsinkable" even though it was destined to sink anyway eventually.

"The captain is expecting you for breakfast in an hour." said the butler.

"Okay. Tell him I'll be right down." sighed Max.

Now with the identity of _Dorian Fry_ , he was told by Father Time the current day was the 12th of April and that the great sink would occur on the third day. So Max had to be ready and prepared before the glorious ship herself struck that iceberg. Max had a dinner with the ship's captain, Edward J. Smith and the next morning, he went out on the ship's desk to get a look at the beautiful ocean out on the horizon. Everything about this reminded him about that movie about the _Titanic_ starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He stood upon the very end of the ship's front in the spot where Jack Dawson held Rose Dewitt Bukater as she shouted "I'm queen of the world". Max felt so tempted to shout those words out as well, but didn't want to draw any unwanted attention.

Max decided to hit things off on the magnificent vessel before it was time. Though secretly, he prepared himself for the great sink. Gathering he could possibly use should he drown in water or suffer any other casualties. Max had a rather splendid time on the ill-fated ship. He had some time in the gym, the turkish bath, the swimming pool, the cafe and the dining suite. It was a real paradise. Max even relaxed on a lounge chair staring out into the sea with the rest of the passengers while the waiter offered him a glass of champagne. Remembering that alcohol had no effect on him, he drank it anyway. But when April 14, 1912 arrived, Max kept himself awake and checked the time to see it was 1:00 AM. With his makeshift survival equipment, Max rushed out onto the deck and waited. The _Titanic_ was sailing unknowingly right toward a giant iceberg in the ocean and just like that...

BAMMMM!

The vessel had collided dangerously against the massive block of ice and at that instant, the entire ship started to sink and everyone aboard the ship panicked when the vessel became unstable and was starting to sink. Max had already expected this turn of events. So with the help of his equipment and a few passengers, he helped guide them through the rapidly sinking ship. Captain Smith had already suffered his fate when water filled up in the bridge, causing him to drown. Working their way through the boat, it then started to split in half. Max and his group managed to get through the opening on their side of the split _Titanic_ and onto a piece of the ship. Once they climbed aboard an empty lifeboat that got separated from the boat as it was sinking, Max and the survivors watched as the once-glorious, luxurious ship of the RMS _Titanic_ disappear into the ocean to her watery grave.

"Hello!" screamed one of the survivors, calling out to anyone for help.

"It's no use shouting!" Max gripped as he rowed the lifeboat. "Nobody will hear you!"

"You don't know that!" said a woman passenger who was the mother of Millvina Dean.

"If only the captain were here. I hope he made it out okay." said the young Millvina herself.

"The captain is dead." Max said sharply.

"What?! How do you know that?!" They demanded.

"The sea caught up with him on the bridge. He couldn't make it sadly." Max sighed to himself. "Guess the captain went down with the ship."

Some of the other passengers were starting to feel the effects of cold water immersion and when all hope seemed lost for all of them, a passenger steamship called the RMS _Carpathia_ happened to be sailing by when the crew aboard it discovered the passengers out on the sea and went to rescue them all. The rescue party saved all the surviving passengers and brought them abroad the _Carpathia_ where they healed them of injuries that they might've received when their beloved ship sank. Night had fallen over the ocean and the _Carpathia_ as will as the stroke of midnight.

* * *

 _ **TENOCHTITLAN, MEXICO**_  
 _ **The Aztec Empire**_  
 _ **1519**_

Now Max was a native of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan named _Xihuiquetzal_. Meeting with a former slave girl named Chel, he helped out the locals of the ancient city with everyday tasks like making food and treating livestock. Max and Chel stumbled upon a ground of Mayans who were standing before the Mayan calendar and predicted that the world would come to an end for humanity an the gods would rise from below to claim the planet as theirs. Mentally, Max scoffed this off as the year he originally came from was 2016 and it was already four years ago since 2012 and yes, the world had not ended. Although, society today was getting tougher and tougher each passing day, which would really make one question if the world wasn't as it used to be.

Without any warning at all, an expedition of Spanish conquistadors lead by the one and only Hernán Cortés and his advisor, a Nahue woman named La Malinche (also known as Doña Marina). Many unlucky natives to the city had either lost their lives or were held hostage by the conquistadors. The city's ruler, Moctezuma II, was eventually killed in the process during the conquest. Max and Chel escaped capture by fighting off and killing some of the Spanish men and escape into the jungle outside. That's when Max's time in this era was up.

* * *

 _ **THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR**_  
 _ **The Underground Railroad**_  
 _ **1700s**_

Under the guise of a Union military officer, _Lt. Noah Thomsen_ , Max found himself in the Louisiana bayous in a section of the United States that was considered the "South". During this time, many poor African-Americans were forced into slavery by white folk against their will. Just then, a horde of Southern slave owners of the Confederacy came trotting down a path on their horses with lanterns to help them see through the darkness. Max hid himself behind the trees to avoid their line of sight when a hand grabbed his arm and yanked him to the ground. A group of black folk covered his mouth and told him to be quiet while one of the two women peaked through the bushes to see the horse-drawn slave owners gallop away. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Max.

"You were lucky they didn't find you." She reminded him, holding her own lantern. "You're from the Union, ain't you?"

"Uh, yes. I am, in fact." Max confirmed with a nod.

"I'm Harriet Tubman." The black woman told him before gesturing to her comrades. "These two brothers are Henry and James, that's my friend, Sojourner Truth and my other good friend, John."

"Why are you all hiding?" asked Max, but he knew in hindsight that it was a pretty stupid question to ask as he already knew the answer.

"We're a bunch of slaves to them Southern white folk." explained James with a quiet whisper. "We've been that way for quite some time. That's why Harriet here is helpin' us out through what we call the Underground Railroad. We're trying to find our way to Pennsylvania where we'll be free from them bastards."

"How many more of you are there, may I ask?" Max queried.

"Many more, honey." answered Truth.

"And we have to move fast before them whites catch up to us. I ain't goin' back to no dirty labor to them Southern pigs!" Harriet replied with a growing hatred in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'll help you guys out. But it's going to be a long journey." said Max.

"We have to keep goin'." Henry explained.

And so, on their journey went through the Underground Railroad as Max and the group met up with the rest of the black slaves. What a long journey it was for them, indeed. I hope the next era I end up won't be too difficult, he though to himself. They had to sneak their way through forests, sail rivers and try their best to evade the whites who were hunting the blacks down relentlessly. They had to stop and rest a few times before they had the strength to continue on. They braved rainstorms, snowy blizzards and settled down in a lonely cabin for the night. By Max's third day, out of sheer luck, they had reached the free state of Pennsylvania. Harriet Tubman couldn't thank Max enough for assisting them. After they said their goodbyes, Max's time was up and the next era was fast approaching.

* * *

 _ **THE EARLY CRETACEOUS PERIOD**_  
 _ **Pangaea**_  
 _ **100,000,000 B.C.**_

And now, Max was a neanderthal, a primitive man who has yet to evolve into the intelligent modern human we are today. He was given ape-like humanoid features and animal pelts for clothing. He tried to speak, but he now lacked the capability to even speak coherent words or full sentences. But his intellect remained, thankfully. Max entered a cave where a group of cavemen resided. They all growled and hooted with intimidated, but Max held his hands up to let them know he wasn't a threat.

"Gurk! Gurk!" He grunted out his words while gesturing to himself.

"Eh! Eh! Eh! Eh!" shouted the presumable leader of the group of wild, ape-men before pointing to his own self. "Ek! Ek!"

Using a series of hand gestures, he explained to them that he needed food. The neanderthals seemed to understand what he was saying and Ek lead the men out into the open with spears and other weapons they had crafted delicately with their hairy hands. Max obtained his own weapon and joined the others in finding some food. They came to a clearing where a bunch of dinosaurs were grazing and going about their business. Max had fancied dinosaurs once in his younger years. But he never imagined seeing actual live ones this up close. Max went out and butchered a small dinosaur with his spear and the other cavemen hooted and cheered with victory, which didn't end well after a loud roar thundered. A huge _Tyrannosaurus-Rex_ appeared out of the tree line and charged outward toward the defenseless herbivore dinosaurs. The T-Rex killed and ate one _Triceratops_ that wasn't fast enough to get away.

Max and the neanderthals ran for their lives when the T-Rex gave chase. He had to come up with a plan to kill this tyrannical lizard beast somehow. After shaking it in the jungle, Max climbed a tall tree and landed above it, on it's neck. The giant apex predator roared and tried to shake it off, but Max held on tight for his dear life and plunged the spear into it's brain, making it drop to the ground dead. That night, Max and the neanderthals ate up their food like savages. Although, Max knew it tasted cold and uncooked, which gave him an idea. Using a rock and some sticks, he created a campfire, startling the wild, feral men. Max demonstrated what fire does by cooking his meat over it. The cavemen followed his example and they loved how it tasted. Two days go by and Max was put into the next era. Hopefully, this next one won't involve dangerous beasts.

* * *

 **Max has already gotten further into his time-traveling test of bravery and skills. Do you think he'll be able to make it to the end in order to succeed? Will he be able to pass the test to enter the Underworld? Find out in later chapters. Thank you all for waiting. See ya!**


	18. The Moon King's Defeat

_**ANCIENT EGYPT**_  
 _ **50 B.C.**_

Max was placed right in Ancient Egypt a year after Cleopatra VII has claimed the throne after her father, the pharaoh Ptolemy XII Auletes, died. As a slave named _Khnemu_ , Max was taken right to the queen herself after he was caught in a violent fight with another slave who accused him of something. Although, seeing that Max was a desperate type, the young pharaoh queen took pity on him and took him in as her personal bodyguard. Anyone who dared to offend him or Cleopatra would be sentenced to execution or deadly torture. The latter of which being too unspeakable.

Before long, Cleopatra fell for Max and offered him a...night in her quarters. Max's still-young mind was blown beyond belief at that point. After that, he didn't feel too good about it and he just tried to pretend it didn't happen by distracting his mind with other things. Hopefully, this would not haunt him for the rest of his life. Long story short, Max's time in Egypt came to an end and now it was time for another era.

* * *

 _ **WORLD WAR I**_  
 _ **No Man's Land**_  
 _ **1916**_

Now he was a British soldier named _Sgt. Major August Schneider_. Max was put in the middle of the Battle of the Somme during the Western Front of the First World War. He among other British and French soldiers with Field Marshal Douglas Haig were in the trenches of No Man's Land fighting against the Germans with force. Max had befriended a few of his comrades like Private Josiah Greer, Sgt. Aarav Dorsey and Private Roderick Grant. He spent the first day firing at the enemy from the trenches along with the rest. Many brave soldiers died and many have lived. Soldiers had a knack for flirting with death, no doubt. This went on until the next morning. Max and his comrades were asleep when the Field Marshal woke them up to get them prepared.

"You know, my grandmother was Austrian." said Max.

"You're kidding, right?" asked Greer with a raised eyebrow.

"No. But then we moved to Britain."

"Well, there's one thing about those damn Germans that we don't know, right?" cracked Grant.

"Shut the hell up, Grant!" Dorsey growled, shoving him back while Grant continued laughing obnoxiously.

The Allied forces were rudely interrupted by the sound of cannons and gunfires as the Germans took them all by surprise. Max, among the rest of the soldiers, shot down more of the Germans. In the end, the Allies emerged from the fight victorious. Max and his squadron went to spend the night in the commune of Foucaucourt-en-Santerre where they share some drinks at the local tavern. That night, they planned to sneak their way over to castle where Erich Ludendorff was residing at the time in effort to steal his plans and try to find out what he and the Nazi Party is planning. Max disguised himself as a French nobleman with Grant acting as his coachman. Once the group was inside, there was a gala going on and Max tricked Ludendorff into thinking he was here on official business and was to offer a proposal that would help the Germans strengthen their military forces.

As the man was distracted, Max very sneakily (very, very sneakily, as sneakily as he could) swiped his personal notebook and quickly made it out with his comrades. Returning to Haig with Ludendorff's plans, they praised Max like some kind of hero. It was merely a small thing that he did, but was appreciative at least. But soon, it was time for him to switch eras.

* * *

 ** _THE AMERICAN FRONTIER_**  
 ** _The California Gold Rush_**  
 ** _1849_**

His next identity was a gold miner named _Tyler Parrish_ who had to work in a Nevada gold mine, digging in a tunnel every hour on the hour. There was a lot of digging and lot of dust to deal with in that order. Max hoped that he wouldn't get the black lung during his labor. Although that usually happens to coal miners, but still. Then suddenly, while Max and the miners delivered a collection of gold they uncovered in the mine out in a mine cart, an explosion erupted nearby, frightening and startling the mine workers. Max realized that this had to be a robbery, so he grabbed a handful of gold in the hopes that it would steer the robbers away from hurting anyone.

However, there was only one person who orchestrated the ambush. Although he took some of the gold, he gestured for Max to be quiet and gestured him to follow him into the desert. Once they were as far away from the mine as possible, the stranger took a moment to catch his breath before removing the bandana covering his mouth to speak.

"Sorry 'bout all that. I was just needed some gold. I wasn't really gonna hurt nobody. The names Joaquin, by the way. Joaquin Murrieta."

"What did you need it for?" asked Max.

"I'd rather not tell." Joaquin confessed. "But I'll tell ya anyway. I needed money to pay off a debt back at Tombstone, Arizona. It's just a few miles west from here."

So Max was now on a new quest to help a new friend to an intended destination. Along the way, Joaquin explained that he was a quest for vengeance. Long time ago, he and his dear brother were falsely accused of stealing a mule and while his brother was hung by the neck, Joaquin got horsewhipped. His wife, Rosa, was also gang raped before she was killed in his arms. Now he's hunting down the ones who violated his beloved wife. The gold he needed was just to help the poor. But he needed to get to Tombstone for something important. Along the way, they met up with Joaquin's friend, John "Grizzly" Adams, a mountain man and a trainer of grizzly bears, hence the name. But when the sheriff and his deputy started chasing after them, they received help from an Apache Indian named Geronimo in hiding at log cabin disguised as Indians themselves, fooling the two upholders of the law. The next day, they hitched a ride on a stagecoach to Tombstone with William Tecumseh Sherman.

"So why you here, Mr. Parrish?" asked Sherman.

"To be honest with you, sir, my family was...kidnapped by a band of outlaws and I'm on my way over to Arizona to rescue them." explained Max, using a false version of the true story.

"Son, you ever heard of Hugh Glass?" The stern-faced man asked and Max nodded wordlessly. "He was a frontiersman, a fur trapper who survived a grizzly bear attack long ago during his trapping expedition on unorganized U.S. territory. Unfortunately, his fellow trappers betrayed him and left him to die in the middle of the wilderness. But that didn't stop the sum'bitch from crawling his way over to Fort Kiowa in over 200 miles. And he never stopped until he got there. But he was denied his chance of revenge on John S. Fitzgerald who left him for dead in the first place. I suppose what I'm saying is that even though you're relentless in your pursuit, you may or may get positive results."

The stagecoach had to stop a haberdashery for the night as it was getting dark and it would be too risky for them to travel at night. There were a few people there with different stories to tell. But come the next morning, the group hopped back on the stagecoach and they were back on the path to Tombstone. They had finally made to the Arizona western town where Joaquin met up with his friends and bid Max farewell. Once nightfall came, it was time again to switch.

* * *

 _ **THE GREAT DEPRESSION**_  
 _ **Los Angeles, California**_  
 _ **1933**_

Max awoke as an actor named _Bruce Cabot_. He was now in Los Angeles, California during the Great Depression and was given a role in a monster film called King Kong by RKO Radio Studios. He was to play a character in the film named Jack Driscoll who was the love interest of Ann Darrow who was to be played by Fay Wray while Robert Armstrong was to portray the filmmaker Carl Denham. The entire production itself was being directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack respectively.

Now the titular monster, King Kong, was done via stop-motion animation through most parts of the film and they would be doing their principal photography on many film sets. They were now doing the final scene where Kong climbed the Empire State Building whilst holding Ann in his hand. The four airplanes arrive to take down the monster once and for all. Kong defends Ann while taking many hits and then falls off the building to his death. Max (or "Jack") climbed up the ladder of the building set to reunite with Ann. The very last scene was when Car fought through the crowd to observe the dead body of Kong in the street. The officer proclaimed the airplanes got him.

"'No, it wasn't the airplanes that got him.'" Robert (or "Carl") shook his head in disagreement. "'It was beauty killed the beast.'"

That was a rap and everyone was praised for having done a tremendous job. While Max drove his car through the streets of Los Angeles, he could see the Hollywoodland sign on the hill in the distance. He and Fay went to a nightclub on the third day to celebrate their success. It was glamorous, ballroom-type place with dinner and dancing while a band was playing on the stage.

"Care to dance?" asked Fay, offering him her hand.

"Love to, Miss Wray." He said cheekily.

Fay brought him to the dance floor where they gracefully danced to the music while Max felt a wave of nostalgia from the whole setting. Then after a while, they held each other together while doing a slow, gentle waltz as they both listened to the beautiful jazz that decorated the sound barrier like Christmas lights. When Max noticed the clock on the wall and saw the hands reaching 12:00 midnight. When the hands finally rested on the very aforementioned spot, everything shifted around Max.

* * *

 _ **BABYLON, MESOPOTAMIA**_  
 _ **The Neo-Babylonian Empire**_  
 _ **c. 554 B.C.E.**_

 _Shamash-mudammiq_ was who Max was now. A servant to the king, Nebuchadnezzar II, of the kingdom of Babylon, Mesopotamia in the Neo-Babylonian Empire. There wasn't much to say about this era as Max couldn't exactly recite the events during this time, but he made a good first impression impression with the king himself and the culture there was something very new.

"I hope everyone is doing just as okay as I am." said Max to himself.

* * *

Back at the fortress, Bunny approached Sariatu who was staring out a window in boredom. From the moment he met the Japanese sorceress spirit, Bunny could feel a slight connection with her like he could relate to her in a way. But something about her made him feel warm inside. Sariatu noticed him sitting next to her and rubbed her arm nervously.

"Hi." She meekly said, averting her eyes.

"Hey yourself." Bunny said back. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah." sighed Sariatu. "I'm just worried is all. Max is going through 17 time periods, probably getting hip-deep in many dangers while we have to wait here and just hope and pray that he gets through this test safely."

"I've known Max for the past few days. He's a brave and tough child. I know he is." Bunny told her. "He's already gotten this far in his quest. He needs his family and he won't stop until he gets them back."

Sariatu breathed a heavy exhale at just the thought of family.

"It's not like I had a very idyllic family myself as you could already tell." She explained. "All I've ever known since I was little girl was blood, war and the arrogance of mankind from my father's point-of-view. If I could sacrifice anything, it would be to have parents that understood you and actually cared about you."

Then she felt a furry paw on her hand and she saw Bunny giving her a comforting smile.

"Sorry if your dad killed your first love, but that doesn't mean that someday, you might find a new one." He said to her compassionately.

"Maybe you're right." Sariatu said smiling back at him, feeling her heart beat faster than normal and her face glowing a bright red hue. This very moment reminded of the time she faced Hanzo in a straight-up sword battle before it soon morphed into love at first sight. Sariatu's once-black heart melted away once she heard him utter those words, "You are my quest". But when her father killed him, Sariatu finally saw the blind judgement and selfishness in her father's milky-white eyes and turned against him and her twin sisters.

But then all of the sudden, Bunny's ears perked up when he overheard a presence not too far away from the fortress in the Sands of Time. Sariatu broke out of her trance when she picked up on it as well and they both knew something was wrong. There was someone coming. They rushed back over to the others where Jack, Maui and Mavis were playing bored game of "guess what I'm thinking", the fairies were playing hide and seek and Héctor was singing a serenade to Bloom who was giving him a loving, flirtatious look.

"There's trouble coming, mates!" Bunny shouted, disturbing everyone's activities.

"What?!" Jack cried.

"What's going on?" demanded Mavis.

Bunny and Sariatu both dodged the questions and darted toward the main entrance, running out into the desert to see that there was a giant, blue-glowing _Dunkleosteus_ -like creature floating over to them far in the distance.

"It's him." grimaced Sariatu with eyes of hatred. "My father."

"The Moon King?" Bunny asked with shock. "How the hell did he find his way here?"

"I'm not sure. But if he thinks he's gonna come here and slay me, he has another thing coming." Sariatu glared as she turned her shamisen into a katana and at that second, everyone else rushed outside to join the two to see what was the commotion about.

"What is it?" Bloom asked, worried.

"My father, the Moon King, is coming. Stand together. We can't let him win." Sariatu ordered, firmly grasping her weapon.

"Oh, you don't have to ask me twice." smirked Maui as he readied his mighty hook.

When the Moon King was within range of the group, Sariatu charged forward and with one slice of her katana, she sliced the monstrous form of her former father down the stomach making him growl in agony. The rest of the team joined in on the battle with Jack using his ice magic, courtesy of his staff, Mavis utilizing her vampiric powers; telekinesis, shape-shifting and whatnot, Maui had his own shape-shiftin powers and hook swinging moves, Bloom summoned her power of blossom petals, Bunny had his egg-sploders while Héctor had to sit this one out as he didn't possess any abilities meant for battle situations.

"You were always the miserable scum from the start, you treacherous brat!" bellowed Raiden in his big, booming voice at his former daughter.

"And you were always a monster!" Sariatu screamed as she fought him back.

"We could've had the world in our hands! We could've been superior to the human race and all would've been the same in our image! But you just had to let that bastard of the Beetle Clan soften you up with something as meaningless as love!"

"Love made me stronger!" argued Sariatu. "And I will never be like you!"

Before she could deliver another blow, some chains wrapped around her ankles and pulled her back into the fortress. She held on tightly to her katana as she was forced deeper into the darkness when she saw the Noh masked faces of her dreaded sisters, Karasu and Washi. Sariatu glowered at the smirking lips revealed from the broken part of Karasu's mask.

"Well, well, well." began Karasu in a taunting tone.

"Here we are again." added Washi.

"Alone at last." They both said in unison.

Sariatu screamed in rage as she raised her sword to fight back, but Karasu used her chains to tie her down while Washi held her own katana dangerously over her neck, ready to decapitate her with one stroke.

"First you fall for that disgraceful human, you dishonor your own family, try to vanquish all of us and now, here you are, whoring yourself to a giant, long-eared rodent!" screamed Washi in rage.

"What?!" Sariatu shrieked.

"Don't be stupid, sister." snarled Karasu, tightening her hold on her. "You have that ugly feeling of love in your eyes whenever you look at him. Don't bother denying it! If he really cares for you, then he can watch as you die before his eyes!"

But then a boomerang flew out of nowhere and smacked the creepy twins off Sariatu, releasing their grip on her. Sariatu rushed back to her feet to see Bunny had come to her aid.

"Nice hit." She said with a grateful grin.

"Thanks." Bunny smiled, twirling his boomerang before Sariatu suddenly threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Bunny was caught off guard by this, but hugged her back. Sadly, their moment was interrupted by the sisters.

"Ugh, love! So barbaric! So disgusting!" Karasu spat angrily as she swiped at them both with her hooked chains and Washi swiped at Bunny with her katanas. Bunny and Sariatu both fought the sister, but they soon got the upper hand and had the couple beaten to the floor.

"How impudent to think that love could save either of you!" The sisters both said as they were close to finishing the two off.

In a last ditch effort to stop them, Sariatu turned her katana back into a shamisen and Bunny got out his egg-sploders. Sharing a knowing nod, combing both the exposing eggs and Sariatu's mystic wave of magic from her instrument, both sisters were blown back by such a powerful display. Once it was over, the couple both saw the sisters had both been effected badly by the impact and were now incinerated severely before they both turned into dust and that dust evaporated into nothing. Karasu and Washi were no more at last.

"That takes care of them, right?" Bunny remarked.

"I never like them anyway." Sariatu joked with a chuckle that she and him both shared. Meanwhile, back to the battle outside in the Sands of Time, everyone was having trouble taking down the Moon King.

"You all shall never prevail! Darkness shall fall upon the world whether you like it or not. And when it comes, I will be standing in the center of it all." Raiden expressed.

Jack yelled as he summoned up all the strongest ice he could muster and blasted the Moon King with the biggest shot of ice that he did with Pitch long time ago after he killed Sandy in battle. Then there came a huge boom and the monstrous Moon King fell from the air and landed on the ground, frostbitten and near-defeated. Sariatu and Bunny rejoined the others and everyone formed a circle around Raiden.

"You can't stop the power of true love or family." Sariatu explained calmly. "Because as long as we stand together, we are powerful as one against you."

"NO!" screamed the Moon King as his power slowly diminished.

"Family is about having someone close to you, to have someone by your side." Jack added.

"STOP IT!"

"We leave nobody behind and never neglect anyone." said Héctor.

"And as long as the bond stays mended, we are all one." Bloom agreed, holding the calaca's hand.

The Moon King bellowed in great agony from all the care and love that he started to glow very brightly, making everyone shield their eyes from the blinding light. Once it decreased, the Moon King was back to his original human form. He sat up and looked all around, disoriented and confused. All of the their combined power had reduced him to a normal state, which rid him of both his powers and his memories as a ruthless king.

"Uh, hello, father." Sariatu greeted hesitantly.

"Oh, uh. Hello." said Raiden, still confused as to what was going on.

"It's me, Sariatu. Your daughter." said Sariatu, holding his hand.

"Help me, Sariatu. I'm afraid I can't remember anything." Raiden begged while Sariatu helped him up to his feet.

"You were a great man, father. You helped many lives in the past." She lied with a smile, knowing that her now-powerless father could have a chance at redemption.

"Every year, you make the best soup." Maui suggested.

"You tell the children fascinating tales." chirped Mavis, jumping up and down.

"You give out scarfs." Héctor replied.

"And the best sweaters." Bloom added along with him.

"You help the Man in the Moon give me life." Jack said with a smile and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Me as well, mate." acknowledged Bunny.

"Well, I can certainly see that I have a lot of friends." Raiden said with wonder.

"You probably need to lay down." Sariatu said, holding onto his arm. "Come."

She and the others brought him inside the fortress and to let him have his rest and possibly have Father Time recreate his memories and replace them with the false, but good ones they told him after Max came back from his test. The fairies all hovered in mid-air when they brought the withered old man inside.

"Who is he?" asked Fawn.

"He's my father." Sariatu explained. "Father, these are fairies."

"Fairies?" Raiden furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and curiosity. "Thought they were make-believe."

"Oh, we're totally real, sir." Vidia bragged smugly with her hands on her hips. Sariatu and Jack both helped the now fragile man into a room where he could relax and rest his weary head as fatigue started to overwhelm his old body.

* * *

 **So there's the next chapter. It appears that Sariatu's evil family had finally found her and her friends at Thereafter during Max's test. And you can all see that there will be a shipping between Bunny and Sariatu. The sisters, Karasu and Washi, are now dead and the Moon King powerless and defeated with a chance to redeem himself. What's gonna happen now? Find out soon in the next chapters. See you all very soon!**


	19. The Underworld

_**VIKING ERA**_  
 _ **Scandinavia**_  
 _ **991 A.D.**_

And now here Max was standing in the blistery-cold northern regions of Norway, Scandinavia with the identity _Thorvid Authulfsson_. For the first few minutes of this time here, the village he was in was nothing too enjoyable. That is until he met a gentleman named Leif Erikson who was preparing for a journey out to sea with a group of vikings led by the one named Olaf Tryggvason. Max offered to come along, saying he could use some time away from land for a while and he soon agreed. So the two unlikely duo sailed with the vikings out on the open sea.

It's revealed that there was a war coming on by England as it's king, Æthelred II the Unready, was sending Earl Byrhtnoth and his thanes against an invasion by the vikings themselves. During their seafaring, a violent storm raged on out of nowhere and the great waters trembled and roared along with the winds, everyone getting drenched in the heavy rain. But vikings were tough and fierce and brave seafarers and not even a storm would stop them. Max, however, could only pray for a safe arrival to wherever they were heading to. Finally, the storm passed over and they arrived at the country of Denmark. There, they met another group of men bringing their own boat to shore. Both sides came together.

"Who are you men?" asked Olaf.

"We are Geats from Geatland." answered the tall, muscular, bearded man with the long black locks. "I am Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow. We come to meet with King Hrothgar."

"Shall we come along with you?" Leif asked, stepping forward. "We could all use something to dine on if possible."

"Perhaps his majesty would be gracious enough." said Beowulf's lieutenant and friend, Wiglaf.

"There's men coming." Max said as he pointed a finger outward toward the distance, making everyone turn their heads to catch a glimpse of a group of Danish thanes riding on horses towards the group. Beowulf stepped forward bravely once the captain of the thanes halted his horse right in front of him with his spear.

"Who are you?" He demanded. "Why have you come here? Speak now or forever hold your peace!"

"We're not here to fight!" Beowulf explained, unfazed by the captain's tough exterior. "Me and my men are Geats hailing from Geatland of Sweden and these people are travelers. I am Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow. We've come to speak with King Hrothgar about your affliction. They say that you have a hideous monster running amok on your lands. Tearing about your famous mead hall, spreading fear on your people. I have come to slay this monster of yours."

"The monster has slain millions upon millions of unlucky souls." The captain firmly replied. "There have been many great warriors to come and none ever prevailed. There are not more warriors foolish enough to come risk their lives for the sake of others in the hands of a beast."

"If I may, I am no stranger to the supernatural. I might be able to lend a hand, Lord Beowulf?" asked Max, knowing that he's seen scary monsters before.

"Very well, then." Beowulf nodded.

Max, Leif, the Geats and the rest all sally forth towards the kingdom of Hrothgar on horses where the great mead hall, Heorot, was sealed shut due the previous monster attacks that happened there and the strict order by the king himself that no merriment shall be held in that hall again. After meeting the king, Beowulf vowed to killed this monster that was plaguing their kingdom. The monster was named "Grendel" and everyone they held merriments in Heorot, he would come running through those doors and kill anything that moves. So they had Heorot reopened to drink and celebrate. One of Hrothgar's trusted thane, Unferth, shows dismay and contempt at Beowulf.

That night, the Geats and the rest all sat in the mead hall and Max suggested they sing in order to draw the monster in. They all sang loudly together until there came a loud knocking on the locked doors of Heorot that rang out abruptly, silencing the men's merrymaking.

"He is here. I know it." Beowulf whispered.

"Thorvid." Leif said in a hushed voice, grabbing Max's arms and bringing him back.

It wasn't only a second later did the uncomfortable silence laying still in the mead hall was instantly broken when a giant monstrous figure burst through the doors of Heorot, knocking them down into pieces with it's incredible strength. And there Grendel stood before them all with his clawed fingers, his unkempt hair and fur barely masking the scales on his skin. Grendel stared back at them with his empty eyes and let out a loud, earth-shattering inhuman roar. In direct response and by instinct, the Geats and vikings all charged out with their swords and fought the grotesque abomination infiltrating the hall, only for Grendel to fight back.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! _STOOOOOOOOOP IIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT!_ " screamed Grendel in a loud, anguished shriek.

At that instant, Beowulf joined in on the fight without any weapon needed and just fought Grendel with his own bare hands. He jumped on his back and began punching at him, making the monster scream in pain. And soon, Leif and Max join in. While a few Geats and vikings had lost their lives, the rest stayed back in fear of the beast. Not the correct trait for a brave warrior. Max slashed at Grendel's leg with his sword and Leif impaled him through the chest. Not were to any avail whatsoever. Grendel shoved them all off him, growling with hatred. But Beowulf held a tight grip on the monster's arm and forced him to the ground before he started twisting it, much to Grendel's increasing pain. The more Beowulf pulled on it, the more painful it was. Then, with crazed strength, Beowulf ripped Grendel's arm right off his body and held the bleeding limb high above him in victory while Grendel retreated out of the hall in the darkness, clutching his still-bleeding stub, leaving a trail of blood and pus behind, screaming and roaring in agony all the while until he was gone out of sight.

The next day, with the monster now dead and their affliction lifted, the Geats and the Danes all celebrated in the Heorot, drinks of mead all around, along with music and dancing. As Beowulf was telling his story about how he defeated Grendel the night before, Leif approached Max and congratulated him on his bravery. King Hrothgar and Queen Wealhtheow sent his faithful regards to Beowulf and his brave men for cleansing their great mead hall. However, the next morning after that on the third day for Max, many more Danes and Geats were found dead and Hrothgar explained that this was the work of Grendel's mother who lives in an underwater cavern by the northern moors. She seeks retribution after her son's death. Max went with Beowulf to the sea hag's cave where they fought the monster's mother until Max chopped her head off with one swipe of his sword. He and Beowulf took her decapitated head back to Hrothgar to prove she was dead. Everything was fine once again. But then Max had to be switched to the next era once midnight fell upon the land.

* * *

 _ **ICE AGE**_  
 _ **The Paleolithic Age**_  
 _ **1,000 B.C.**_

Max sighed in aggravation to realize he was in yet another snow-covered landscape. Here he was during the ice age when humanity struggled for survival against both the cold and the nasty predators the lurked out in the wilderness. With the new name _Jhoobnar_ , he was joined with the Cro-Magnons and their chief, Z'serk in their hunt for meat. They happened upon a herd of woolly mammoths in the far expanses of ice and snow. They were planning to attack when the time was right. Unfortunately for them, they never got the chance and the mammoths knew they were there and decided to make the first move before they could.

It was a dirty fight between man and beast, but Max remembered killing a T-Rex single-handedly before and used his spear to impale the mammoth in the side and the mammoth fell down dead as a stone. Max spent the next few days with these Cro-Magnons, these under-evolved species of human, before everything started changing again, but something seemed off.

* * *

 _ **THE END OF TIME**_  
 _ **117,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000**_

Blinking away his confusion, the flabbergasted Max found himself standing in the middle of a huge, seemingly endless dimension of some sort. It was completely blank and white, full of nothingness around every corner. Max was now wearing normal, modern clothes this time and when carefully walked forward, he thought he heard some voices in the distance, but everywhere he looked, there was nobody and nothing to be seen. Nothing but plain whiteness. Then he found some differently-colored tiles on the floor or ground. When he bent down to slowly lift it up, it suddenly levitated upward into the air and disappeared, making him jump back. What on earth was this place?

"Now when am I?" He asked himself. "Though, more importantly, _where_ am I?"

 _"You have reached the end of time itself."_ explained Father Time appearing before him. _"An empty void of nothingness where space, time, physics and reality are no more. Congratulations, Max Engel. You have reached the final era."_

"But how is this an era if time doesn't exist anymore?" asked Max, baffled.

 _"This is what the universe looks like here. The extinction of the space-time continuum and now vulnerable to other dangerous worlds across the multiverse."_ Father Time said.

"Are you telling me that in the next countless years, everything we've ever known will be gone? Just like this?" Max demanded, gesturing to the void all around him.

 _"Indeed. But that will a long ways away. And now you stay safe, Max until your test is up."_

"Safe from what?" queried Max, lifting an eyebrow. "I'm literally the only one here. There's nothing here!"

 _"There will be."_

"What do you mean by that?" But when turned to face the old keeper of all time, he was gone from his sight, making him sigh. "Big help."

From that moment on, Max continued on with the so-called journey in this wasteland on nothingness. When more strange, disembodied voices were heard off, Max got frightened and started running for his life, hoping to find the empty realm's edge or some form of existence. However, because there was nowhere to go here, he kept looping right back where he started. He tried this a few more times, before stopped realizing where was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. It was only him and nobody else. Not a single life anywhere to be found. But then suddenly, a portal opened up from above and a humungous, tentacled group of extradimensional entities expelled out of it and into the empty void with Max. When "They" noticed him, they chased after him for an hour before everything, except Max, started to freeze. "They" were no longer chasing after him and before he could react, Max was teleported out of the world of nothing.

* * *

Max was teleported back in Father Time's fortress right in the very spot where he started and where was Father Time himself before him, giving him a warm smile. Max realized he was finally a kid again and sighed out of relief, glad that it was all over.

"Well done, Max." said Father Time, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You've convinced me. All that scarring nonsense you've probably encounter, such as your night with Cleopatra, has been numbed from your mind. You won't remember them until you're a full-grown adult."

"Max!" Everyone cried as he was suddenly embraced in a group hug by all his friends who were glad he was finally back with them.

"We were getting so worried about you!" Sariatu cried happily.

"Did you get hurt or traumatized in any way?" Jack asked concernedly.

"No. I'm fine now." Max assured them all.

"What happened there? How did you do?" asked Bunny.

"Well, I ended up in the Middle Ages, I fought in the Trojan War with Agamemnon, I survived the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the sinking of the Titanic, I killed a T-Rex, I helped the slaves escape the South, I played a role in the King Kong movie and many more." explained Max.

"So you had a little child like him go through all that just to prove his worth?" Rosetta demanded, flying up to the old man's face with scorn. "How dare you endanger his life!"

"I had a good reason to!" Father Time bellowed in her face, forcing the scared garden fairy to fly back away.

"What are they doing here?" Max asked, pointing at the fairies.

"They stowed away in your lunch bag." replied Héctor. "Mother Nature wanted them to keep an eye on us all."

"Are you all ready for this? To enter the Underworld?" asked Father Time to everyone.

After looking at each to other to think this over, they all knew that this is what they came here for and Max needed to find his family. After nearly a second or two, the group made up their minds and so did Max as he looked the old timekeeper right in the eye, determined.

"We're ready."

Father Time nodded and as he raised his wooden staff, he summoned a flash of lightning down upon the group, making them all shield their eyes and themselves, huddling together so none of them would get electrocuted by the bolts. And then the lightning was gone and they all found themselves falling, falling down into a endless pitch blackness before a sea appeared just below them all. Then one by one, they all screamed as they plummeted into the mysterious ocean. Everyone all swam to the surface for an inhale of air, trying to stay afloat in the water.

"What the?...What the hell?" screamed Mavis.

"Where are we?" cried Héctor while Bloom was holding onto him for her dear life.

"My hair is ruined!" Rosetta complained.

"Forget about your hair, Rose!" Fawn gripped to her in irritation.

"Is this is? The Underworld?" Max asked to everyone as he looked all around to find that were nowhere near any sort of land and there was mist all around.

"It has to be." Jack mentioned. "I hope Father Time didn't just dump us back to the real world in the ocean somewhere."

"If so, I'm gonna get him for getting my perfect hair wet!" growled Rosetta.

"Rosetta!" The fairies all scolded her.

"Okay, fine!"

But just then, from out of the thick sea fog, there came the large shadow of a ship not too far from where they were. It was the shape of an old pirate ship of that general design as it loomed toward them.

"Guys, look! A boat!" Maui cried to his friends, pointing out toward the vessel.

"Maybe we could get some help!" Bunny said.

* * *

Aboard the ship, it was a mobile home built by a family of ogres who sail the Misty Seas, fishing for unsuspecting souls who swim helplessly, bringing them onto their ship and have them murdered, dismembered and stored away for later consumption. The matriarch, Ukig, and her teenage daughter, Szunut were boiling a stew together when they both hear a loud roar that they were familiar with and they both smiled.

"Morning, dear." Ukig said with a cheerful smile.

"Morning, father." said Szunut.

Wuzazog, the patriarch of the family of three, had an extremely bad back pain that was interfering with his sleep. He had to sleep on his stomach or some other alternative to help him make it through the night, but it's never the same to what he was used to. As he let out a roaring yawn and stretched, he had to end it there when his back started disagreeing with him. Suddenly, he though he overheard the cries for help outside the ship.

"What was that?" He asked.

"What was what, dear?" asked Ukig.

"I could've sworn I heard a noise outside the boat." Wuzazog grunted, but suddenly waved it off as just his imagination.

"It's just your nerves, dear." His wife reminded him calmly before handing their daughter a cup of warm herbal tea and telling her to go feed it to him. Szunut went to her father and had him open his mouth and then poured the steaming tea down his throat. Then she handed him a jar.

"Here's some ointment for the leg, dad." She said and went to find something to smear it on with.

"I grew up too fast when I was young. That was a problem." explained Wuzazog.

"Oh, you were just overdoing it a bit, that's all." Szunut explained, using a stick to scoop up some ointment and had her father put up his bare leg. "It's not uncommon, you know. It's happened to anyone."

"Well, you just try being beastly and terrifying when-" He winced with pain when his daughter smeared the ointment on his leg, but he fought it back. "...you can only get an hour of sleep at night when your back hurts. And you can't even breath a cough."

"But you are beastly, dad." Szunut complimented with a smile. "You're our beastly monster."

"Ah, you're just saying that." He groaned.

"It's true, dear." Ukig agreed.

Max and the group out in the sea noticed that there was nobody out on the deck to see them and it was getting closer and closer to them. They had to get away as fast as possible before it hits them. Back on the ship, Wuzazog was now up and about before his vision was starting to act funny.

"Look at these bloody spots. That's diet, that is." He grunted before grabbing a fishing net.

"You'll outgrow them, dear." Ukig told him comfortingly.

"Come along, Szunut."

His daughter followed him as they both went out onto the deck to got catch some fish or at least some delicious humans to feast on.

"And all this bloody fish!" The aching ogre complained while his daughter helped him with the net. "There used to be a time when you could catch souls, hat racks, boots, boxes and now it's prawns all the bloody time! Anti-pollution!"

Together, they both tossed the net over the side and into the water while they both waited for something to get caught in it. As if an answer to their effort, something big and heavy did get caught in the net underwater. Wuzazog had trouble lifting it back onto the ship an account of his bad back.

"We have a bite!" screamed Wuzazog.

"Is everything okay out there?" Ukig called out from the ship's cooking area.

"I think we caught something, mom! Come on out here and help us! Quick, before it gets away!" Szunut called out.

Ukig rushed out onto the deck with her husband and daughter to see that they caught a big one in the water. Because, Wuzazog was too in pain to lift it up and Szunut was still developing, Ukig took over. Being a woman with the strength of a thousand arms, it wasn't hard for her at all. She yanked on the net and it brought Max and his friends onto the ship inside of it.

"My goodness! The perfect catch of the day! We'll have them for breakfast!" Ukig cheered excitedly.

"Such delicious looking creatures!" said Szunut licking her lips. "I was beginning to think there wasn't any left in the Underworld."

Ukig instructed her husband to give them a good fright before putting them into the pot to have them cooked before taking Szunut into the kitchen with her to prepare to seasoning and everything to make the meal more tasty. Wuzazog grabbed Max first since Héctor was nothing but bones and no meat. When the ogre's back started hurting again, Max took the opportunity to talk his way out of this.

"Does your back really hurt?" He asked him. "We can help you with that."

"Yeah!" The rest of the group agreed and nodded desperately.

"How can you help me, boy?" demanded Wuzazog with a low growl.

"What you need is stretching."

"Stretching?"

It took some convincing before Wuzazog finally agreed to let him help him for the sake of his poor back. Jack, Maui, Bunny and Sariatu all grabbed his arms and legs and at Max's mark, they all yanked on his limbs at the same time, making the ogre scream in pain before everything started to feel better. No more back pains. It was all gone.

"That's better! That's better!" Wuzazog cheered, overjoyed. "I feel amazing! It feels wonderful!"

But then, everyone knew that they couldn't trust these ogres at all as they weren't really going to help them, so they started to swing Wuzazog back and forth before throwing him right into the Misty Seas. They all laughed at his misery, taunting him as he swam helplessly in the water. But he didn't seem to care. He was glad the crippling pain that's been tormenting him for a long time is finally dealt with. Ukig and Szunut overheard the splash and went to investigate, forcing the group to hide. When the two ogresses went out to see Wuzazog was in the water. Jack and Sariatu stole the moment to shove both of them off the ship into the water as well.

Now they had control of the boat and it was there vessel to find out the lair of Krampus. They really were in the Underworld after all. Max felt glad with a smile panted on his lips. They had finally made it and it was all worth it. Wuzazog could finally cough at last and with one cough, he blew a great powerful wind that blew the ship in the direction away from the ogre family. Off they were now to find Krampus's hideout and save Max's family.

* * *

 **There you have it! Max and his family have finally arrived at the Underworld! Now they were close to rescuing Max's family. But what dangers will they run into along the way to get there? Find out in the later chapters! See you guys later!**


	20. Together At Last

An hour had gone by since they had stolen the ship from the ogres and the group were still sailing the Misty Seas, trying to find some land to port on. But because of the surrounding mass of seemingly-endless sea fog, it was just impossible to tell where they were or where they were going. Jack and Bunny were up on the rooftop of the ship with Max, while the former was looking out to sea with a spyglass. There nothing as far as the eye could see.

"How are we doing, Jack?" Maui called out from the crow's nest. His wayfinding skills were failing him at this point.

"Not sure." answered back the winter spirit. "This fog is thicker than ice. I can barely see a thing."

"How do we even know where we are?" shouted Héctor.

"I found a map in the kitchen, you guys." Mavis cried while looking over an ancient peace of map as she had mentioned. She looked over the thing and could almost read it. "It seems we're on the right course from here. As long as this wind keeps up, we should be able to make it."

"Why do I have trouble believing that?" Vidia asked.

"What if there isn't any land at all? We could be trapped out here in an endless ocean!" Silvermist screeched out with woe and despair, gripping her hair and looking ready to pull on it.

"There's no way the Underworld is just one big ocean, Sil." Bloom reminded her. "And how come you're complaining? You're a water fairy."

"I-"

But Silvermist's sentence never got out after the first syllable as from out of nowhere, the ship began to jerk unexpectedly all around, leaning from one side to another, causing it's new passengers to get knocked over on the deck after losing their balance while they tried to grab onto something. The fairies all flew inside of Max's lunch box to stay safe. Jack held on tightly to Max just so he doesn't fall off the roof. It had to be the wind doing this. They needed to take evasive action quick before the boat could capsize on them all.

"There goes my lunch!" groaned Maui with a green face, suddenly getting queasy.

"Somebody cut the sails!" Jack screamed.

In response to his shrill order, Héctor grabbed an axe laying on the deck and chopped at the ropes holding the sails up and once the blade sliced through them, the sails lowered and the ship became steady once again. Everyone sighed out of relief, glad that it was over.

"That's great. We're out of that one." Bunny exhaled.

But unknown to them, it was far from over. In fact, it wasn't even the wind causing the ship's sudden wobbling movements. But before long, Sariatu started to notice that the ship appeared to be levitating above the water.

"Uh, Jack? Guys? You kinda need to see this." She told them.

Everyone looked over the sides as the ship seemed to lift higher and higher and they're eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Chills ran down their spines and the skin started to crawl as they witnessed the most shocking discovery about the very vessel they were sailing upon. Once the ship was fully risen from the water, a gigantic head appeared right beneath it. Strictly speaking, the ship wasn't exactly a ship at all. It was a hat being worn by a large giant with a hardened hide and bark-like flesh with horns like tree-branches and eyes like pits of fire and mouth so dark and hollow, full of a countless rows of serrated canines. The ship that everyone was currently one was used by the giant to scurry about under the sea in disguise. The group all rushed inside of the boat and huddled together.

"What's going on?!" shrieked Bloom, demanding answers, though afraid of who they will sound.

"I don't know!" Héctor answered, just as visibly shaken as she was.

The giant rose higher and higher out of the water as it was becoming evident that it was nearing land. Now close to the land, it rose out of the Misty Sea and started taking large, booming steps that appeared in slow motion from one of an ordinary human size. The giant marched away from the sea and started to walk through a desert-like valley, carrying the ship full of frightened passengers on it's head. Jack and Maui both ripped the floorboards out of the floor to the bottom of the ship to reveal the very top of the giant's scalp. Putting two and two together, they finally understood they were no longer at see and could see the gravity of the situation they were in now. There had to be a way to stop the giant and get off the ship. Maui swiped at the giant's head with his mighty hook, but that didn't do anything as the giant had very thick skin.

"Try again!" urged Sariatu.

Maui tried a few more times in vain, but still had no results whatsoever. Héctor even had to pull off his humerus bone and use it as a hammer, but that also didn't do anything.

"It's not working!" Héctor cried as he continued to helplessly beat the giant's head with his arm bone. Tink and the fairies scavenged the joint for something sharp to use to stab at the giant's scape with. They settled with cutlery and other big knives, but it still was no help. But then Max noticed some bottles rolling around, giving him an idea.

"Drugs!" He shouted before climbing his way up to the cabinet to find what to use on the giant. Then he found it. "Chloroform. It'll have to do."

Now all he needed was something to use as a makeshift syringe. Luckily, there was a fireplace bellows on the floor with he picked up and grabbed a knife to sharpen the endpoint. He unplugged the bellows and poured the chloroform inside of it, then placed it aside. This had to work, because if it not, nothing will. Max raised the bellows high and brought the point right down upon the giant's scalp, injecting it with the chloroform. It wasn't long before it started to take effect as the giant groaned from the sudden sting on it's head. It wobbled the ship around, unknowingly knocking the group all around in every which direction it was leaning. The giant started to feel very drowsy as it rubbed it's eyes and let out a big yawn. The giant stomped over to a small mountain and slowly sat down. It took it's ship hat off and placed it on the ground on it's side. Because of this, everyone had now fallen to the other side of the inside of the ship.

When they knew it was over, everyone climbed up to the door leading to the ship's deck and used the climbing rope to the crow's net to get out. While each of them took turns in climbing down one at a time, they all looked up to see the giant itself snoozing away and snoring loudly. Slowly and quietly, everyone got off of the ship and onto the valley ground before they all took off running away from the scene before the giant could wake up. Soon after, the entire group have been venturing across the Valley of Nowhere for over 12 minutes in the very direction Mavis said to go as it said so on the map she was reading. It's been a long hike across this large valley in the Underworld and everyone was starting to think that this was all for naught as they couldn't find Krampus's lair anywhere and there was nothing but deserts around for miles.

"We should be getting closer. His lair can't be too far ahead." Mavis told everyone while they past bones and a large ribcage to some large animal.

"Who are you kidding, Mavis? There's nothing over there!" complained Maui.

"We've been traveling this land for hours!" Jack added.

"I'm telling you! We're getting there!" begged Mavis, trying to keep her hopes up.

"You've been saying that for the last twenty miles!" gripped Bunny in vexation. "We're never gonna find that lair at this rate!"

"Let's just go back!" suggested Sariatu. "There's no way we're gonna find it out here!"

"Can we just give up?" asked Fawn.

"We can't give up now! We're almost there!" proclaimed Mavis, determined to find their destination.

"When can we give up?" Héctor asked, looking ready to fall flat on his face on the ground.

"Come on, you guys! Just a little bit further-!"

At the last second her words got out, everyone suddenly found themselves running face-first right into something they couldn't see. It felt like a flat surface of some kind and it squeaked as they rubbed their hands against it. Few of them knocked on it and it felt hard, but it was hard to tell what it was.

"What is this?" asked Héctor.

"I don't know. I can't see it." replied Sariatu, pressing her hands on the unseen wall.

"It must be some kind of invisible barrier." Jack theorized.

"So that's what an invisible barrier is like." Max nodded.

"I got this." Maui smirked before transforming into a giant hawk. Letting out a loud screech, he flew out into the air and started to fly fast into the invisible barrier, only to smack right into it painfully. He fell back to the ground, changing back to human form. "I don't got this."

"Amateur." Sariatu rolled her eyes and strummed her shamisen, but the mystical wave bounced off the barrier and hit her instead, knocking her back a few feet away onto the ground. Bunny stepped in and took a few of his egg-sploders and threw them at the barrier. The egg bombs exploded onto the invisible wall, but it was useless. Meanwhile, Mavis was overlooking the map to see where they were at and hoped this wasn't some wild goose chase. She lit up with excitement when she realized where they were standing.

"Holy rabies! We've made it, you guys! We've found it! We're here!" Mavis cheered giddily, jumping up and down like a child.

However, the entire group was staring at her as if she had lobsters coming out of her ears. Taking another look around, there was just nothing to be seen for hundreds of miles. Even Max was starting to lose hope, believing that he and his spirits had gone all this way, escaping monsters, dodging traffic, going a trip thought time and finally reaching the Underworld all for nothing. Maybe he'll never see his family again after all.

"You've gone insane, Mavis!" Maui yelled. "You've lost your marbles! Take a look around! There's nothing out here! There's nothing! We came all this way and this is what we get!"

"I'm serious! We're actually here! Just look at the map!" Mavis pleaded, showing him the map, but the frustrated demigod snatched it out of her hands and threw out to the ground.

"The heck with that stupid map!" He bellowed.

"Hey, that's enough, Maui!" Jack scolded, stepping in.

"Oh, sure. Take your girlfriend's side. That's really flattering of you." Maui taunted.

Right at that moment, everyone erupted into a huge argument over whether they should turn back or not and the thought that they were all dragged on a pointless quest to find Krampus's lair in the Underworld, only to get lost in the middle of nowhere. Max backed away and sat down on the ground in sorrow. Héctor noticed a tiny crack on the barrier that only took a keen eye to see. He popped his skull off and swung it right onto the tiny crack. The impact on the crack caused the whole invisible barrier to shatter into pieces like a giant glass window, which silenced the group's argument and they all looked up with stifled gasps, mouth agape at what they were looking at.

Behind the invisible wall that was now broken into shards was a large, dark Gothic fortress surrounded by eternal darkness and covered in light-grey snow. What undoubtedly gave it away as the lair of Krampus himself was the statues at the gate of the bridge in the shape of yule goats. After everything they went through, they finally found it. They finally located Krampus's dark lair in the Underworld.

"We have found it." Maui gasped.

"Told you." Mavis smirked at him.

"Okay, I admit it. You were right, I was wrong." confessed Maui.

"Glad to hear it." She smiled triumphantly.

"So this is where you've been hiding all these years." whispered Jack to himself as everyone slowly entered the dark area and, despite the sinking feeling in their stomachs and the bad vibes they were getting on this place, the group crossed the bridge up to the lair's front entrance. Jack picked up some of the snow on the ground and felt it around in his hands. It wasn't cold and it left a stain on his pain. It wasn't snow, but, rather, volcanic ash. There was lettering above the entrance in German.

"' _Die Weihnachtsfestung_ '?" read Bloom out loud in confusion.

"It means "the Christmas fortress"." translated Max. "I speak a little of German and Austrian thanks to my grandmother."

Deep within the bowels of the fortress, the demon in question could already sense some unwanted intruders entering his dark castle through his invisible barrier that was meant to conceal his location in the recesses of Hell. And in his right mind, he could already tell who was entering is private sanctuary. He knew that boy was relentless in his search for his family. Perhaps he could find a way to deter him from going any further. He called upon a group of tall, shadowy, black-cloaked figures with reindeer skulls for heads to capture them all one by one. "Shriekers" as they were so-called based of their loud, high-pitched squealing. On they entered into the pitch black darkness of the fortress. It was, indeed, dark and very unsettling. Nothing too pretty about this place at all.

"Man, this place is creepier than I imagined." Max muttered softly.

"Hello?" Maui shouted out, but was immediately silenced and earned a rib jab from Héctor. Everyone else shushed him sharply for that.

"Shut up!" The calaca man hissed at him. "Are you _tornillo suelto_ in the head?! You wanna get us caught?!"

 _"Hello?"_

Everyone was silent after they were answered back by the sound of Maui's voice as it echoed off the walls. Then there was complete silence after that. They all looked at each other, thinking about how strange, but perplexing that sounded.

"Hey!" Sariatu shouted out, suddenly getting a kick out of it.

 _"Hey!"_ , the dark walls of the fortress answered back just two seconds after her holler got out. Héctor breathed a relieved sigh and chuckled softly to himself as he felt relaxed now, thinking there was nothing to be afraid of after all. He then joined in.

"Hello?" He called.

However, he was met with the same result as the other two were. After his voice was raised, there was nothing but the eerie, dead silence. Héctor stood motionless, waiting to hear his own voice answer back. But instead, after a few long seconds, there came a loud, low-pitched ghastly voice that grumbled back from out of the darkness saying...

 _"HÉCTOR!"_

At this point, there were no spoken words to describe how thoroughly scared shitless Héctor was. He could feel his own bones shaking and he found himself inching closer to the way they all came in. But as everyone grabbed him and try to talk him into staying with them, they all started walking backward while facing the same direction they entered before they heard Bloom screaming bloody murder at the top of her lungs. Swiftly turning around, they all screamed as well with great terror. Dead bodies hung by neck on nooses, decapitated heads on spikes and other mutilated bodies all around them. Jack held his arm over Max's eyes before he could see them while screaming.

Horror film were terrifying. Spiders were terrifying. Witness murder was terrifying. But there was nothing more terrifying on the whole planet more terrifying than what they all saw before their very eyes. After a few seconds, the bodies were gone from their sight as if they were never there and everyone finally stopped screaming, stopping to catch their breaths. But there was no denying how frightened out of their wits they all were. But then they all shared the same option.

"I think we should split up." suggested Bunny.

"No!" Max screamed. "We're standing in the lair of a demon who takes children away on Christmas. If there's anything I learned from horror movies, it's never split up. That's how the villain gets all of us easily."

"No, Bunny's right." Sariatu suddenly said, agreeing with the pooka. "We'll have a better chance of finding your family if we fan out and search the place."

"Guys, did you not see what we just saw!" cried Max, trying to dissuade them of this poor decision. "I really think we just stay together as a group."

"Héctor and me will head down this way." Bloom suddenly said as she grabbed the skeleton's hand and practically dragged him down a corridor with him before Max had time to stop them.

"Wait!"

"Come on, Maui. You and I will go check in this direction." Mavis quickly prattled as she zipped down another path with lightning speed as fast as her vampire legs could carry.

"Hey, wait for me!" Maui said before transforming into a cheetah and darting down the path close behind her in order to keep up.

"Guys, stop!"

"Bunny, you come with me." Sariatu said as she and her waded down another hallway.

"Right behind you." He said before both of them were gone within seconds, leaving only Jack, Max and the fairies the only ones left standing in the middle of the dark section of the fortress. Max groaned and put his head in his hands in aggravation before breathing a sigh.

"Guess it's just you and me now, Jack." The boy sighed.

"And us." Tink reminded him.

"And you guys." Max corrected himself.

"Don't worry, buddy." consoled Jack, giving him a reassuring pat on the head. "We'll find them. I promise."

The remaining members of the group quietly made their way up the fight up stairs to the next floor to start from there and see if they can find anything. Max prayed in his mind that the others would be okay. It was like those situations in Scooby-Doo where the gangs always split up to search for clues. But if only they as well were smart enough to understand fully that splitting up only increases the villain's (or in which case, the killer's) chances of picking them off one by one, since each one will be alone with nobody around to defend them or call out for the others.

* * *

Maui and Mavis were checking a room in the foundation until the demigod thought he heard two pairs of footsteps down the darkened corridor. While Mavis was busy snooping around the place, Maui curiously, though cautiously stepped towards the direction where he heard it and when he turned the corner, he gasped he noticed two vaguely-familiar people he could almost remember.

"Mom? Dad?" He breathed out, dumbfounded.

"Yes, it's us, Maui." His father nodded.

"W-...I...How is this...?" Maui was at a loss for words, being in the presence of the same people who casted him out into the ocean as a baby.

"You're confused. We understand." said his mother.

"What are you two doing here?"

"We were offered a second chance at life by Krampus, of course." His father answered.

"Why did you dump me in the ocean?" demanded a now angry Maui. "Why did you just throw me into the ocean to die? Did you not care about me?"

"Maui, please." His mother begged with sorrowful eyes. "We were very young and very stupid. We weren't thinking straight."

"We just weren't ready to start a family yet." chimed in his father.

"So attempted murder was your only way out?" Maui scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Listen, Maui." ordered his father. "Just hear us out. Come with us both and we will make it up to you. If you choose to come with us, I swear to you, we will make up for lost time these past many years we should've spent with you. It'll all be better again."

Suddenly, Maui feel obligated to listen to them as he stepped further toward them with unblinking eyes like he was in a trance. His parents all held out their arms to him as if expecting a big hug from their long-lost child. What Maui failed to notice was that their hands began to contort into a greyish claw-like fingers. From back in the room, Mavis lifted her head up when she felt something in the room with her.

"Mavis." said a voice she was all too familiar with. She turned around and gasped.

"Dad?"

"I see that you've snuck out under my nose into the outside world and left the hotel." said Dracula.

"I know, dad. I'm sorry. It's just that I really wanted to see what it was like outside the hotel." Mavis apologized guiltily.

"It's okay, Mavey-Wavey." He said hugging her tightly in his arms as he caressed her black locks. "I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere and neither...are you."

"What?" She blinked her eyes open wide as she suddenly felt something cold and sharp gently scraping against her back, sending goosebumps all over her skin.

* * *

Bloom and Héctor were standing in a room that was full of wooden effigies in the shape of goats made of sticks. Something about them made them seem associated with witchcraft or something of a Satanic cult in a matter, of course. Bloom had wandered off while Héctor stayed behind when he felt movement behind him. Curious, he followed whatever it was. Now, naturally, he would've just ignored it and continued following behind Bloom, but there was something interfering with his logical thinking, like something was making him do dumb things. Héctor gasped when he saw her.

"Coco, is that you?" He asked, hoping it was real.

"Of course, it is." His daughter said with a smile. "And we can finally go home."

"But how are you here and how did you die?" demanded Héctor.

"Krampus offered me hospitality and I'd rather not speak about my death right now." Coco answered. "Why did you abandon us to chase off someone else? Do you not care about us anymore?"

"That's not why I left, Coco. And of course I care. I never stopped caring. You know deep down, I still care." Héctor pleaded with a choking voice.

"Then why did you leave? You were supposed to be there for us."

"Stop it! Stop it! Please, just stop! Stop reminding me." By now, Héctor was starting to lose his shit as he banged on his skull, clutching his eyes shut, now certain he was hallucinating, knowing his own daughter knew him well. Suddenly, Coco stared at him blankly.

"Why do you hate me, _papá_?" She asked calmly. "Why do you hate me and _mam_ _á_ so much? You cannot deny that your poor decision to chase music made you leave me alone at home with _mamá_. You gave me false hope, _papá_. You made me lie to myself. You made me waste my life hoping that someday, you would return from your trip with Ernesto like you promised, come walking through that door and holding me in your arms once again. But you never did. I know _mamá_ hates you now. And I know she waits for you in Hell."

She broke into a sinister chuckle that caught him off guard. When Héctor looked back at her, she lunged out at him, now in a monstrous form of herself with sharp teeth, greyish skin, pupil-less eyes and sharp claws, letting out an inhumane shriek that made Bloom jump and rush back over to the effigy room, but she couldn't find Héctor anywhere. She was certain he was behind her and that he might've stopped here for some reason. But it was just her and the goat-shaped wooden statues that just continued giving her bad vibes. But then she gasped when she noticed another person staring back at her.

"Yu Lei?" She squeaked.

* * *

Bunny and Sariatu have been wandering through a hallway for only a minute and Bunny was starting to question having separated from the others. It felt stupid to just leave Max behind, seemingly on his own in his dark and gloomy castle owned by the Christmas demon.

"I think we should head back, Sariatu. Max could be all alone and scared without us." He suggested.

"You know, maybe you're right. I don't know why we thought this was good idea." Sariatu sighed, agreeing with Bunny's terms and now, once again, worried about Max's wellbeing. But just as they were about to turn around and try to rejoin the others, Sariatu noticed something on the corner of her eyes that made her turn right around. There was a figure out there that she recognized instantly that was walking around.

"Hanzo?" She whispered in a shocked gasp.

"Your old love?" asked Bunny, raising an eyebrow. "But that can't be right. He's dead. You said so yourself."

"He must still be alive." The Japanese sorceress mentioned as she was about to follow the person. "Hanzo! Hanzo!"

"Sariatu, wait! Stop!" Bunny grabbed a tight hold of her arm, trying to stop her. "Hanzo is dead! You said so yourself! That isn't him! That can't be him!"

"I have to go to him! I have to see him!" argued Sariatu as she wrestled herself out of the Pooka's grip and full-on dashed into the direction she saw her supposed love make his way into.

"Sariatu! It's not real! It's just in your head!" screamed Bunny desperately before he stopped to see someone himself. It was a little fuzzy at first, but his eyes widened when he noticed a bit closer.

Back with Sariatu, she raced over to the person who she believed to be Hanzo. In hindsight, she would be telling herself that it was just all in her head and she was only hallucinating. Even though she witnessed her father murdering Hanzo before her very eyes, she still believed that Hanzo was still here, alive and untouched by time as she was. She finally caught up with him on a bridge leading from one corridor to the other. Hanzo finally stopped in his track with his back still turned to Sariatu.

"Hanzo." She began, trying to speak to him. "Hanzo, it's me. Sariatu. You remember me, right? Long time ago, we first met in battle and I tried to kill you. Okay, forget that part. Anyway, you told me that I was your quest. Remember that? Am I still your quest? Hanzo? Hanzo, answer me. Look at me!"

She wondered why he was just standing there motionless with his back still turned to her, not saying a single word. But then finally, he started to slowly, yet menacing swivel his head around to face her and Sariatu felt her heart skip a beat and her stomach dropped when she realized something was off about him. She opened her mouth to scream, but she never got the chance.

* * *

"Where exactly does this guy keep all these people he captures?" asked Jack as he anxiously checked from room to room, trying to find the right place to look for Krampus's many victims.

"I think he has like a secret room somewhere around here." Max said as he waded far away from Jack and felt the walls in the hopes of looking for a secret switch or something of that kind that would open up a hidden passageway to where he needed to go. The fairies themselves were trying to find it as well, feeling every spot on the walls, following Max's example. Max's hand fell upon a lantern on the wall and it jiggled as he pulled on it. Suddenly, the floor beneath Max's feet opened up, sending him plummeting into a deep, dark hole, screaming in terror before the hole itself sealed off. Fortunately, the fairies all caught this just in time and flew fast over to Jack to warn him.

But Jack wasn't even paying attention as he thought he heard a voice. A voice that he hasn't heard in a thousand years. It was as soft as a breeze as it called out to Jack by name. Jack followed after the voice to see where it was coming from while Fawn and Iridessa grabbed his sleeve to pull him back and get his attention, but he brushed them off and continued towards the ominous voice.

"Stop!" Rosetta said, grabbing both her friends before they could try again. "It's no use. He's under a spell of some kind."

"Oh my gosh! This has to be Krampus's doing!" Tink shrilled, putting the pieces together. "He must be trying to throw us off track!"

"We need to get to Max fast!" Vidia said with determination.

"But how?" asked Silvermist. "He just tell right through the floor."

"Think, water girl, think!" The fast-flying fairy reminded her with a hard tone. "He has to have found a secret lever where he last was. Let's just try to find it."

Together, the fairies all searched the wall near where Max had fallen through that hole seconds ago. They tried pushing into the bricks, but none of them even budged a tad bit. Then Iridessa looked over at the lantern and started to catch on.

"The lantern!" She cried and she and Periwinkle both grabbed onto and tried to push down on it. After a few more tries, it lowered slightly and just like that, the floor beneath them opened up just like it did before and they all quickly flew down into it before it closed up again.

Jack was still following the voice before it finally stopped and he started darting his head all around before there was a small girl down the hall staring at him with saddened eyes. Upon seeing her, Jack jumped back a step with disbelief. He couldn't believe his own eyes. He thought she was long dead.

"Emma?" He finally spoke slowly approaching her.

"Yes, big brother. It's really me." She said with her arms out, expecting a hug.

"How is this possible?" Jack asked as he embraced her. "Last time I saw you, I fell through the ice."

"I know, Jack. I thought I had lost you, but you're here now." Emma comforted him.

"I don't know how you're here, but I'm glad you are." Jack smiled, feeling glad to have her in his arms. "I'm never leaving you again."

Emma giggled in her throat after he said that, but then her laughter got distorted and low-pitched, catching him off guard.

"I know you won't." said a dark, deep voice that definitely didn't belong to her. Jack's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he couldn't even have the courage to look at her again. But when he did, his sister wasn't there anymore, but the giant towering form of the Shrieker as he realized too late that who he was wasn't real before the tall creature grabbed Jack's head with it's giant, claw-like hands, silencing his scream of terror in an instant.

* * *

Max landed on a pile of straw, which broke his seemingly-long fall. He hoped and prayed that he didn't end up anywhere horrible as he lifted himself off the pile and brushed himself off. He looked all around to see that he had landed in a new room. But a rather new room with shelves full of a huge collection of snow globes. It only took a few seconds for Max to realize that was finally standing in the very section of Krampus's lair where he kept his victims imprisoned. He gasped with joy, finally glad to have reached where he could find his family at last.

Then the real search began. Max looked through various snow globes to see they all had buildings in them. So he needed to find the one that had his house in it. There were like a thousand snow globes, which meant that Krampus was a busy person and that there have been many unlucky mortals to have been naughty on Christmas and been making poor choices during the holidays. He was just about to give up when he finally spotted it. The snow globe that had a miniature-sized model inside of it. Max rushed over and picked it up before peaking inside. Then suddenly, his shrunken family rushed out outside of the small house to witness Max before them and they all waved their arms out to him.

Words couldn't describe the relief and happiness he felt that he finally found them. After all this time braving dangers, fighting monsters, traveling through time and finally reaching the Underworld, he was finally with his family again. His effort had actually paid off and it was worth it.

"I'm glad to finally find you guys." He said with a choking voice, feeling tears of joy trickle down his cheeks. He hugged the snow globe to his face and pressed the tip of his finger onto the glass in front of them and Tom walked forward to press a hand onto his son's enlarged fingertip with a tearfully-happy expression of his own. But then a chilling voice interrupted their moment.

"Well, well, well." Max jumped, but held onto the globe as he jerked around to find Krampus standing behind him. "Maxwell Engel. So you've finally made it. All this effort and courageousness have finally brought here into my personal fortress where you finally find your imprisoned family once again. How touching."

"You!" The boy growled, being face-to-face to the very creature that attacked his neighborhood and kidnapped his family to begin with. "Give me my family back! Right now!"

"But you already have, young adventurer." Krampus said to him matter-of-factly. "Except their all tiny now. But I could never release them. Not now, not ever. They still have been very naughty lately."

"I'm not asking, you jerk! Release them right now!" ordered Max angrily.

"I cannot." Krampus shook his head. "You've wanted them gone in first place anyway. You wanted Christmas to be the way it was, but they did not. Going around, taking unfair advantage and taking you, their poor, miserable boy, for granted. Christmas is a time for family reunion and love and care. All they and everyone else care about are toys and feasts and the TV specials and the songs. They'll never understand the true meaning of Christmas. Don't you understand, Max? You're finally free. You don't need them. Not like they ever cared about you. It's time to let go. Maybe someone else will care about you. Aside from your pathetic spirit friends."

"What have you done with them?" Max demanded.

He could see behind that frightening, old man mask of his that the demon was grinning darkly before he grabbed his shoulder and a flurry of snowflakes surrounded them before sending them in a dark room where Max looked above and gasped to see that all his friends were levitating 12 feet off the ground in suspended animation. Their eyes were blank and milky-white with blank expressions as if they were hypnotized. Max gulped and fell to his knees, still holding onto the globe.

"No." He whimpered. "Jack. Bunny. Maui. Sariatu. Bloom. Mavis. Héctor."

"Such pitiful souls. Risking their lives all for one child to enter the Underworld in search for yours truly to finally free his pathetic, annoying family." Krampus griped.

"Let them go. I mean it." growled Max.

"You want to know why I do what I do?" asked Krampus looking Max in the eye. "Because there are many children out there who don't respect the joy and meaning. There are some that just have little to no regard for the harmonious and family-sharing holiday Christmas is meant to be. All I do is teach them a good reason or two about respecting Christmas as is. There's no room in this world for aggressiveness or negligence or selfishness. Everything your family displays. Can you really live with that, boy? Being mocked and ridiculed for your beliefs? No one to take your side or share your interest in keeping traditions alive?"

"I will admit. My family is not perfect. Yes, they can get out-of-control. Yes, they can be very annoying. And yes, they can never understand me. But they are still my family." Max told him wholeheartedly. His family listened in on his words and her moved by his generousness and glad that despite everything he has been through, he still cared for them. Even Stevie and Jordan were glad that he could let bygones by bygones. Krampus snorted out air, but remained calm.

"I see. Very well then. If you'll just hand me the globe, I will free them for you." grunted the Christmas demon as he held his hand out. Max reluctantly handed him the globe while his family watched everything. But then a group of elves came out of the shadows and grabbed onto Max and lifted him up the ground and throw him into a cage, against his will. His family yelled at the events occurring and pounced against the glass, but it didn't help any.

"If you really wanted it to be the hard way, this is what happens, Maxwell Engel. Your family still has a lot to learn and now so do you. Hope your entire journey was worth it." Krampus cackled before turning to march away with his elven army following behind him laughing at Max's misery. Before Max could scream anything, the cage suddenly ascended fast high into the air away from his comatose friends.

* * *

 **Oh no! Cliffhanger! Max has finally found his captive family, but now Krampus has his friends held hostage and he, himself, has been thrown into a cage. How are things going to end from here? Will Max ever save his family at this point? Find out in the next chapter.**


	21. The Boogeyman's Last Stand

The whole shrunken Engel family encased in the snow globe was placed back in it's original spot among the globe-trapped victims collection in Krampus's personal section of the fortress. The Christmas demon exhaled a sigh now that that troublesome boy is locked up tight and his spirit friends are trapped in their own minds. From their point-of-view, it seemed like they were never going to see Max ever again and all hope appeared to be lost for them. Krampus turned around to unexpectedly face the Boogeyman.

"So he's finally dealt with, is he not?" asked Pitch calmly. "The boy?"

"He is, indeed." Krampus confirmed affirmatively. "He is a persistent one. I'll give him that. But I've locked him and his friends up so they'll be no trouble to me any longer."

"And how are his spirit friends?" Pitch asked curiously with that sick grin of his.

"My sub-army of Shriekers have brought them all into a comatose state, trapping them in suspended animation. As we speak, they are now prisoners inside the subconscious of their own minds and surrounded by their worst fears imaginable."

"Bravo, old friend. I must say, you've put on quite the show. But I'm afraid to have to tell you this. Actually, I'm not. But your usefulness has now officially expired. Our business is done now." Pitch nonchalantly confessed in pompous arrogance, making the German-based creature of the night blink in confusion.

"Business? What business?" demanded Krampus.

"Well, you see, since I've learned from the start that Max was planning to free his family, I knew right away that you would make the perfect candidate in fulfilling my plan. Max has always been a scared little child. Afraid that his family didn't care about traditions or spirit anymore. Afraid that his family didn't even love him anymore. Afraid that he was alone in the world. Tempting with his bravery would help me regrow my massive nightmare army to envelope the whole world into eternal darkness. Nothing but the dark and fear all around. No more Easter or Christmas or anything. All it takes is to break down that boy's beliefs and hope."

"You...you tricked me?" Krampus spat with growing anger.

"Tricked you? Oh, no. Of course not. Manipulated, maybe. But I really needed an extra hand and now that I have what I need, you will be among the others to endure the darkness as I become all powerful!" Pitch explained with smug triumph in his voice.

" _Du Hurensohn!_ " bellowed Krampus at the Boogeyman with a storm of fury and rage at being betrayed and manipulated into doing his dirty work. He snatched up his hooked chain and thrusted it at the Nightmare King to attack him, but he disappeared into the shadows from view. Baffled, Krampus looked all around for where he could've gone. But he was too late to realize that he was standing behind him and before he had time to react, Pitch swung his black scythe at him, knocking him to the floor powerfully.

"Don't be so petty." Pitch taunted sadistically. "You should've trusted your own instincts. Oh, well. It matters not anyway. Enjoy the remainder of your days as they darkened from the light and your precious holiday crumbles into nothing but despair."

Pitch had disappeared after that, leaving Krampus all alone in his deepest thoughts. He cursed at himself for falling for such trickery. Max was only trying to get his family back and he was fooled into believing he was coming to destroy him once and for all.

* * *

So this is it now. Max sat there silently in his cage hanging above a seemingly-bottomless pit of unseeing ebony darkness as his mind boggled the events that transpired to this very moment, lamenting about how it all came to this. Ever since the couple days before Christmas, he was hellbent on keeping the Christmas spirit alive among his family. Sure, he started fights when other mocked him for his belief in Santa or when they mocked the big, red man as a whole. Max was only young. Nobody cared for his feelings about Christmas. And after his cousins stole his letter and read it out loud to spite him, it was just too much and he decided that it wasn't worth it.

He grew against the Christmas season. Loathed it, had nothing to do with it. And that's what brought Krampus to his neighborhood in the first place. One by one, Max could only watch in helplessness as his family was taken one by one by Krampus's army of dark elves, demonic toys and living gingerbread men, leaving him, only him in that skin-numbing snowstorm all alone. He rushed to confront Krampus and force him to give his family back. When the demon refused, he grabbed Max and held him over a fiery pit to the Underworld. He tried to apologize, but the demon merely chuckled at him and send him plummeting into the pit, screaming in terror. Max awoke the next day on Christmas morning to find that his house was still the same as Krampus had left it and his family was still gone. Max was alone, regretting over his decision for his family to just go away. They may be difficult, but family was family.

And when Jack approached him, Max wanted his help in getting his family back from Krampus's lair in the underworld. He and Bunny had gone all this way to gather Maui from the oceans of Polynesia, getting his hook back from the claws of Tamatoa in Lalotai, letting Mavis tag along after spending the night at Hotel Transylvania, Sariatu from her lonely mountain cave in Japan, Bloom from her cherry blossom field in China and Héctor from the Land of the Dead. And then there was Father Time when he was put through a 51-day test through 17 time periods just to prove himself brave enough to enter the Underworld. Now he had finally entered the devilish plane and reached their destination. All his efforts, all his courage had been proven worthless. And so here he was, trapped in a cage. He had forced a bunch of spirits to help him into the Underworld to save his loved ones, but it was all for naught. He has now caused the danger of others for the sake of the lives of his parents, Beth, Uncle Howard, Aunt Linda, Aunt Dorothy, his wayward cousins, their pet dog, Aunt Dorothy and Omi. Poor old Omi. Now he knows how she felt when she made that regrettable decision long ago that resulted in her family's capture. He'll never see them or his friends ever again. He sat there singing his sorrows out.

 _ **Max: I was the one who had it all**_  
 _ **I am the master of my fate**_  
 _ **I never needed anybody in my life**_  
 _ **I learned the truth too late.**_

 _ **I'll never shake away the pain**_  
 _ **I close my eyes, but they're still there**_  
 _ **I let them steal into my melancholy heart**_  
 _ **It's more than I can bear**_

 _ **Now I know they'll never leave me**_  
 _ **Even if they're far away**_  
 _ **They will still torment me**_  
 _ **Call me, hurt me**_  
 _ **Move me, comfort me**_

 _ **Wasting in my lonely cage**_  
 _ **Waiting by a locked-up door**_  
 _ **I'll fool myself, they'll walk right in**_  
 _ **And be with me for evermore**_

 _ **I rage against the trials of love**_  
 _ **I curse the fading of the light**_  
 _ **Though they've already flown so far beyond my reach**_  
 _ **They're never out of sight**_

 _ **Now I know they'll never leave me**_  
 _ **Even as they fade from view**_  
 _ **They will still inspire me**_  
 _ **Be a part of everything I do**_

 _ **Wasting in my lonely gage**_  
 _ **Waiting by an locked-up door**_  
 _ **I'll fool myself, they'll walk right in**_  
 _ **And as the long, long nights begin**_  
 _ **I'll think of all that might have been**_  
 _ **Waiting here for evermore**_

As he rested his head into his knees in deep depression, a sound of squeaking and rustling interrupted his numb train of thought and he looked up to see that the fairies were picking the lock of the cage door and he felt his sadness drift away and replace itself with joy and relief. Rosetta held the lock up while Tink was putting her tinkering skills to good use in picking it. After a few seconds, there was a click and the lock became undone. They both removed the lock and opened up the door.

"You guys!" Max cheered. "How did you find me?"

"We were following your tune and, needless to say, it was very heartfelt. We're very sorry for your family." said Iridessa with sympathy.

"There's no hope in saving them now." muttered Max, feeling downtrodden again. "Maybe I don't need them after all. Maybe I'm better off without them anyway."

"Don't you dare say that!" barked Tink in a strict tone that would outdo Sariatu's maternal one. "That's just what Krampus wants. He wants you to forget your family. He wants you to move on."

"What if he's right?" Max replied with a lack of confidence.

"That's not the right attitude!" yapped Vidia. "They need you, Max. That's why you risked everything to come all the way out here."

"That's right!" Silvermist nodded, joining in. "You can just give up now. Not when you're so close!"

"And right this minute, your friends need you too." Tink said with modesty.

"Yeah!" The fairies exclaimed in unison.

Max thought hard about this, but he knew that he can't just leave his friends behind. Not after everything he and them have gone through. He gave an understood nod and they all smiled.

"Great!" Periwinkle grinned and Fawn let out a cheer of excitement.

"How am I gonna get out?" Max asked, looking below him into the deep and dark chasm below. "That's a long way down."

"Girls." said Tink to her friends and together, they all flew around in a rapid circle above Max's head, catching him off guard. They were sprinkling a shower of golden pixie dust on him and as he studied it curiously, he started to levitate into the air. Max flailed around and held onto the bars of the cage for safety.

"It's okay, Max. Just relax." Fawn reminded him softly.

"Grab my hand." Rosetta said, offering him her hand, which he took and Tink grabbed his other hand. The fairies all helped him fly out of the cage and his fear was gone. It felt like a miracle to be actually flying. They warned him to keep his eyes shut while they lowered him downward into the pit of darkness at full speed. After a few seconds or maybe half an hour, they made it to the ground. Max finally opened his eyes to witness his paralyzed friends floating in mid-air, their trance-like blank faces still etched on their faces like epitaphs on gravestones. The fairies did their best to wake them up, trying to whisper in their ears, everything. It was all useless. Max suddenly broke down, deflated.

"I'm sorry, you guys." His voice broke. "I just wanted my family back. I never meant any of this to happen. I brought this on you all. This is my fault. I got my family captured in the first place and now it's happened all over again. I'm so sorry."

Tears dripped down his cheeks and the fairies all shared their sympathy towards the boy. His vulnerable disposition was bringing tears to their eyes as well. Neither of them knew it, but Max's care and love was interfering with the group's hypnotic state. They could feel their minds returning to their control as they slowly lowered to the ground. Blinking their eyes, they were back to their original colors. After finally being released from their mental prison, they all staggered to the floor as if they had been hiking for a whole day without stopping for a breather.

"Sariatu." Bunny rushed to the Japanese woman and held her in his arms.

"It wasn't Hanzo. You were right. It was something else." She confessed, regretful of her stupidity.

"It's okay. I've been there myself. I thought I saw my own family, but it wasn't them at all." explained Bunny.

"Héctor, thank god you're okay!" Bloom chirped with relief before, in spite of herself, giving him a big kiss on his cheekbone. It wasn't until after she kissed him did she realize what she did, making them both blush and avoid each other's gaze nervously.

" _Gracias._ " He thanked her.

"Max!" Jack rushed toward the boy as did the rest of the group, bringing the boy to a huge group hug.

"But how are you all awake?" asked Max, confused.

"It must've been an act of family love." theorized Tink; her friends and sister all nodding in agreement with her.

"Did Krampus hurt you?" demanded Sariatu.

"He had him locked in a cage, but we got him out." said Silvermist.

"I found my family." Max told everyone. "But they're encased in a snow globe like all of Krampus's other victims. I'm not sure how to free them at this point."

"I'm sure we'll think of something." Mavis said.

"Let's just go grab them and leave before-" Jack was silenced in mid-sentence when a familiar flash of black sand across the floor brought a chill down everyone's spines. Jack and Bunny both frowned and had their weapons ready to defend Max.

"Well, isn't this just peachy?" echoed the dark voice of Pitch. "So here you all are, awakened from your deep slumber. Seems so tasteful to risk all your lives for this one child."

"Leave us alone, Pitch!" yelled Bunny. "And leave Max out of this!"

"Why should I? He's so precious." teased the voice of the Nightmare King in the eerie darkness. "So charming to see all of you together in one place after having your little mind nap. Oh, this moment takes me back a long ways away."

"Like when your Nightmares dragged you down in that dark hole of yours?" mocked Jack with his staff raised.

"Still the same annoying little white-haired Guardian of Fun, I presume." Pitch retorted as he appeared out of the darkness. "I suppose some things never change."

"What do you want?" demanded Max, shaking in his boots.

"Nothing much. Except your fear, little man. You've already spanned the supernatural world, collected spirits and escaped many monster and for what? The family that never showed much care for the holiday season? It's not too late to turn back now and forget they ever existed."

"He's not going anywhere yet." Maui growled with his hook starting to glow a hint of bright blue.

"No one is turning back now. Not now or ever." Héctor remarked.

Pitch vanished from their sight and reappeared behind them, catching them off guard.

"I'll let the boy decide." He said once he turned his gaze toward Max. "It's now or never, child. What's it going to be?"

Max glared back at the Boogeyman. He cared for his family and he wasn't just going to walk away when they're so close just because of the past. He needed them more.

"Screw you."

"As you wish. It almost pains me to do this, but... _boo!_ " spat the Boogeyman, giving out the word to send his army of Nightmares at the group just like that. It's now a full-on battle between the group and their enemies. The battle this time was violent as all fights come and go. With Jack using his ice powers via his staff, Bunny armed with his boomerangs and egg-sploders, Maui had his hook and his shape-shifting power on his side, Sariatu summed her magical shamisen, the vampire, Mavis, used her own abilities to her advantage, Bloom used her blossom petal powers and even Héctor, despite not possessing supernatural abilities of own, joined in on the fight. The spirit friends did all they could to defend their mortal ally.

But there was just too many Nightmares all at once that not even a whole group of powerful spirits, mythical creatures or demigods could handle for a large amount of time. The Boogeyman was close to having the spirit group at their knees and reach Max, when Jack stepped in the way. With Jack shooting ice at the Nightmare King with his staff, Pitch was too tough for him than the last thing they both fought.

"Just like old times, isn't it?" He mocked, only to be punched back by the Guardian of Fun.

"Go, Max!" Jack screamed.

"But..."

"Just go, Max! Run!" shouted Sariatu while diminishing a couple Nightmares in her path. "We'll be fine! Protect yourself!"

"I'm not leaving any of you again!" Max argued, not wanting to cost any of them their safety or worse, their lives.

"Don't worry about us, Max! Now go!"

Max wanted to argue back that he was not going to leave behind the many people that he has come to know and love like a family, but he knew deep down that he didn't have a say in the matter and since they were trying to fend off Pitch and his army, he had to at least fend for himself. Without needing to be told once more, Max took off running away from the ongoing battle between spirit and the forces of darkness and fear. A few Nightmares managed to spot him before chasing after the boy as he ran widely down the shadowy fortress corridors and hallways, trying to escape with his life.

The Nightmares were gaining on him now and Max ran faster than he ever ran before in his life. He ducked through room to room, trying to evade his pursuers, but they were too relentless. Max knew they weren't going to surrender and leave him alone, so he needed to think of a plan and think of it fast before they dragged him away to the Boogeyman's grasp. With not a moment to lose, he hotfooted down the stairs and finally into a large, spacious room and quickly hide himself from view. The Nightmares entered where they saw him enter, but for some odd reason to them, the boy wasn't anywhere in sight. Shifting their heads all around the room in confusion, wondering where he could have gone, Max stole the moment to strike and catch them by the element of surprise.

Now armed with a broken falchion, he attacked every one of those black Nightmares one-by-one with a scream of determination until there was nothing but black sand on the floor. Max stood there in the now-silent room, panting from his brave accomplishment. At this point, he considered going back to look for his captive family, but heard the sound of monotonous clapping in the room, forcing him to see that Pitch was entered, sarcastically applauding the boy's display of bravery.

"My, my, my. Aren't you a determined little child? Such courage, it almost makes me want to cry." Pitch teased, coming so close to stand before Max while he held his weapon of choice up, ready to defend himself. "It's you and me now, boy. No spirits around to save you now. Just us and us alone. It almost impresses me, really, to see how much you've gone through just to come here and save your little family and to turn up with nothing. But if you come with me, I can make it all go away."

"I'd never come with you." Max spat. "I need my family and they need me."

"Do they?" Pitch cackled in amusement. "Tell me this. If your family really loves you that much, we did they ignore you? Don't you see? They don't care about you."

"That is a lie!" thundered Max, fighting his grip on the falchion's handle to the point where his knuckles turned white. "They'd never give me up for anything! And neither will I!"

"Look at it this way, Max." began the Boogeyman, circling the young child as the room grew darker. "I know you're family has been through tough times in the past and many of them don't tend to agree with one another, but maybe it's for the best if you had a better family. One that will never turn their backs on you when another child hits you or calls you names. One that's willing to share your love of holiday traditions and perhaps, one that won't rudely criticize your belief in North. Face it, Max. You and I aren't so different. We need each other."

Pitch held his hands on Max's shoulders, inching his face near his as he softly uttered the final sentences. Max let his guard down for a minute to contemplate Pitch's words. It was hard to believe, but he actually might have a point. With his family, he wanted them to get along and have a normal family Christmas like the old days. And if wasn't for his annoying cousins stealing his letter, he wouldn't be so angry to rip it up and sent it fluttering onto the wintery wind currents. Because, believe it or not, those two were basically the main reason Max gave up on Christmas and caused Krampus to take them away as a result. But then again, there have been a lot of mistakes his family members have made.

"You're right." He murmured.

"Of course I am." admitted the Boogeyman with a sly sense of humor.

"My family can be annoying...and rude...and well, not too bright at times. And sometimes, I wish that I had a different family that understands me. But you know what? That's just it. Nobody gets what they want...and neither will YOU!"

Pitch screamed as he was met with a great amount of agony in his chest as Max angrily thrusted the sharp, broken end of the falchion into his chest, catching him off guard and sending him staggering backwards and bend forward with the sword still stuck in his chest, but there was no blood.

"I WILL NEVER GIVE UP MY FAMILY FOR ANYBODY! NOT EVEN YOU, BOOGEYMAN!" Max screamed into his face with great rage.

No real response exited the Nightmare King's mouth, safe for grunt of irritation as the flash of pain in his eyes had disappeared and replaced with that of fury. He gripped the hand of the falchion and ripped it right out of him. There was no blood nor a wound where the sword had been driven into; Pitch threw the sword to the ground as he edged close to Max with clenched fists.

"Fine, Max. I've come all this way to show you a real family, but I suppose we'll just have to do this the hard way." Pitch roared as he clamped his hands onto the side of Max's face and lifted him off the ground. Right before Max's eyes, he could see nothing, but the death of his friends and family when made him scream with horror mixed with grief. But then suddenly, from out of nowhere, a blast of blinding light followed by the sound of a church bell toll knocked Max out of the Boogeyman's mental and physical hold, blasting them both away from each other. Once the dust cleared, Max looked up and his eyes widened to see Father Time standing there with the tip of his wooden staff aimed outward. Max felt a wave of relief wash over him to see the ancient timekeeping deity had come to his aide.

"Father Time?" Pitch growled after regaining his senses, sending a glowering stare toward the old man.

"Pitch." Father Time said back. "This ends now. Now is the time to end the Boogeyman once and for all, one way or another."

"Oh, really?" mocked Pitch in a disbelieving tone. "You and what army?"

Father Time didn't answer, but instead there was the sound of neighing horses and the chorus of padding feet roaring toward the room they were in. Eventually, one by one, Pitch and Max looked all around to find that they were surrounded by Robert and the Scottish knights, Napoleon and his French soldiers, Moctezuma and the Aztecs, Standish, Agamemnon and his army, the Union army, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons, Joaquin, William Tecumseh Sherman and Beowulf and the Geats. Father Time had summoned all the brave warriors in all of history that Max had encountered during his test as reinforcements.

Pitch, however, cackled in his throat, finding all of this as a petty excuse to intimidate him and make him seem outnumbered.

"Is this really the best you can do, old man?" Pitch remarked snidely. "Knights? Mayans? Cavemen? The Union Army? Geats? Surely, you can do better than this?"

"We shall see, Pitch." hissed Father Time before he smacked the butt of his staff to the floor and in a snap second, all of the historical armies charged forth with battle cries and prepared their siege on the Nightmare King, who brought forth his own army of Nightmares and it's become a battleground of fear vs. history. The Mayans, Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals had their spears and makeshift armaments, the Greeks, knights and Geats their swords and shields and the rest armed with guns and other sort of deadly weapon built for combat. The Nightmares were no match for a massive army of historical figures. Max tried from run from it all, but Pitch intercepts him with his scythe.

"No more running, child." He snarled and raised his scythe up high and ready to bring it down for the finishing blow until Father Time came between them and brought the Boogeyman into a two-on-two dual. Despite his increased age, he was a mighty skilled combatant, even with a wooden staff.

"Going through a lot of trouble for one child, old man?" Pitch retorted.

"Don't patronize me!" Father spat before swinging his staff at him, which Pitch duck out of the way of and struck him at least a few him with his scythe, but even so, the elderly man did not falter or stand down. They exchanged blows for a few minutes before Father Time kicked him back and the scythe had vanished. Pitch panted before realizing that his Nightmares had been easily conquered. It was just him now. Him against Father Time, Max and the entire army of historic warriors.

"I'm not afraid of you, Pitch. No one should ever be afraid of you." Max said with a brave game face.

But Pitch only let out a sinister chuckle as he had one more trick up his sleeve. He sunk into the floor and vanished into the shadows. His shadow appearing all over the walls and the sounds of his laugher echoed off the walls, filling the room with a dark vibe while everyone searched everywhere, awaiting for him to come out of hiding. Eventually he did, right behind Max with his scythe once more about to end the boy that has ruined his plans.

"MAX!" Father Time screamed and made the first move before Pitch did and then the warriors all came at him with their swords and guns and whatever else they had in their possession. Afterwards, Pitch stood before everyone and once again, was ready to strike all of them with his black sand from his scythe, but then a chain wrapped around his wrist before that could happen and before he had time to react, he was dragged away to a farther section of the fortress while everyone watched with wide eyes and baited breath. Pitch lifted his head up to see that he was face to face with Krampus, who sent him a glare that actually sent a chill up the Boogeyman's spine.

Angry at everything the Nightmare King had put him through, Krampus grabbed hold of Pitch's neck and lifted him off the ground until they faced each other with Pitch staring back at Krampus while he had him in a choke-hold.

"Nobody double-crosses me. Ever." snarled Krampus.

"Well played, old friend." breathed Pitch with an indifferent face before Krampus placed a boney hand on top of his head and the sound of a loud, hollow crack was heard in the still silence before the now-prostrate body of the Boogeyman fell lifeless onto the floor with a thud. Pitch Black was now defeated finally, having his neck snapped by the Christmas Demon. Max was equally shocked to see this turn of events occur and could've sworn that he saw Krampus give him a knowing nod before slinking into the darkness. Max couldn't believe that Krampus actually saved his life by killing the Nightmare King.

All of the historical armies gathered around Father Time and they all gave an assuring nod with a silent farewell before their attention fell upon Max and they all shared a smile as they knew it was him they they were all with in those eras. With a final wave of his hand, Father Time sent all of them back to their respective eras with every historical character disappearing into thin air before Max's eyes. Father Time then grabbed Max's hand.

"Come on, Max." He said and together, they both left the room to meet back up with their spirit friends. The group and the fairies all rushed to him to make sure he was okay and not injured or scarred for life from the experience.

"Max! There you are!" Jack yelled as he wrapped the boy into a tight embrace.

"Are you okay, Max? Are you hurt?" demanded a worried Sariatu as she knelt down with her hands on his cheeks, checking for bruises and such.

"Did Pitch try to kill you, mate?" Bunny asked with the same concern.

"Please tell me you're okay, _niño_." pleaded Héctor.

"Guys, guys, please. I'm fine. I'm fine. I feel perfectly fine. Better than I did a long time ago." Max spoke with a smile.

"What happened to Pitch?" asked Tink, a bit afraid of the answer.

"He's dead." Father Time answered simply. "Krampus put the Boogeyman out of his misery for tricking him into thinking Max here at come to destroy him after saving his family."

"Goodness." gasped Bloom, elegantly putting a hand over her mouth.

"Well, good riddance." Sariatu confirmed with relief. "At least now we know we won't be scaring or harming anyone any time soon again."

"That's for sure." Bunny smirked.

"Tell me we'll be able to find Max's family." Jack responded.

"Actually,..." Max began before Father Time could open his mouth to speak. "I don't think I'll ever see them again. I think it's best to just let them go."

"Oh, I see." replied Jack, feeling uneasy with Max's reply while the others felt rather surprised that Max is actually willing to move on from his family after all he's been through to come here and rescue them.

"We should go." Maui spoke up. "I don't think I can last another minute in this place."

Now the place was like a maze, but with Father Time's assistance, everyone made it out through the front entrance, brushing past the volcanic ash blanketing the area before making through the giant broken hole in the invisible barrier. But after hiking at least half a mile away from the invisible wall concealing Krampus's lair, everyone was met with an unexpected company. They all stopped before North, Tooth, Sandy, La Muerte, Xibalba, the Candlemaker and Mother Nature who have been waiting for them to arrive from the fortress with La Muerte applauding their performance.

"Excellent, Max, my boy. You've done well." North replied, patting the boy's head.

"Done well? What do you mean?" asked Max.

"It was your love for your family and your bravery that finally defeated the Boogeyman, my father." Mother Nature explained. "Don't ask."

"And saved the entire world from descending into a dark realm or inescapable horrors." continued La Muerte.

"That would've been nice, though." murmured Xibalba, but his wife heard that and smacked him with her marigold petals. "Right. Sorry."

"How are you all here?" asked Jack.

"We had a little help from Father Time. We thank you for that, by the way." Tooth thanked him sweetly.

"Anything to assist young Max in his great accomplishment." Father Time replied, placing a fatherly hand on Max's shoulder.

"Awesome job, little dude." The Candlemaker congratulated with a big, goofy grin as both he and Sandy gave him a pair of thumbs-up. Sandy, in particular, made an 'okay' gesture above his head with his sand.

"And we thank all of you for sticking by Max's side until the end." La Muerte replied to the rest of the group. "Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun, for showing Max the kindness and brother-like affection. Mavis Dracula, daughter of Count Dracula, for proving yourself worthy of being independent. Sariatu, firstborn of the Moon King, for being the maternal figure for Max when he needed one. E. Aster Bunnymund, the Easter Bunny and Guardian of Hope, for guarding his wellbeing. Hua Xuan, also known as Bloom, for showing determination and love. Héctor Rivera, for always being there for Max and doing right by him. I will see to it that you finally see your daughter. I'm sure she would be glad to finally see you. And Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and the sea, hero of all, for redeeming yourself of your ego, your arrogance and caring for the boy all the same."

Maui blushed when she said this and looked nervously toward Mother Nature. She only smiled and gave him a wink, reminding him that she's finally forgiven him for his past mistakes and that he's redeemed himself in her eyes. Mavis held Jack's hand and they both shared a smile as for Sariatu and Bunny as well as Bloom with Héctor. All of the sudden, Tooth screamed and she and her fairies put their guard up as everyone turned around to see Krampus standing there. Everyone raised their weapons, preparing to fight him for Max's safety, but Krampus just stood in place and held his hand up.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to harm anyone." Krampus replied as he stared at North, giving him a silent apology for nearly killing him. Krampus gently walked forward toward Max and the boy just stood still as a statue, wondering what he was going to do. The Christmas Demon reached into his coat, making everyone gasp, thinking he was pulling out a weapon, but all he pulled out was the snow globe containing Max's family. He held it out to Max, who was speechless by this act. Regardless, he grabbed it and held it in his hands.

"I...I don't understand." He stammered.

"Maxwell Engel, I know I've done only to brutally punish those who disrespect Christmas traditions, but tonight, you have shown me the courage in you to come all this way to my lair in the Underworld. I believe you have heart and for that, I return your family to you." explained Krampus.

" _Gracias_ , Krampus." thanked La Muerte, touched by this.

"Guess you're not so bad after all." Xibalba agreed.

"Forgive me for everything that has happened between us in the past. I know this won't change anything, but I do regret hurting you." Krampus responded to North.

"You really are something else." North smiled and nodded, giving him a handshake.

The spirit group all cheered and celebrated their victory over finally rescuing Max's family. Much to Jack's surprise, Mavis placed her black lips onto his and he blushed in response. Likewise, Bloom grabbed onto Héctor's skull and kissed him on his lips. But he didn't care. He had feelings for her for a long time. Maui nudged Bunny and Sariatu together. While they shared a humored smile, Sariatu placed a gentle kiss on his furry cheek.

"So what happens to me now?" asked Max.

"I shall send you and your family back home, reversing everything that has occurred when I arrived." Krampus explained.

"Really?" Max chirped with glee, but then frowned, knowing the he has to saw goodbye to his new friends. He turned to them with a sad smile. "But...will I ever see you guys again?"

"Of course you will!" Jack grinned.

"Yeah." Maui nodded in agreement. "It was you who brought all of us together. That basically makes us family."

"If it wasn't for you, we would've been met." Bloom acknowledged, giving her new beau, Héctor, a loving smile and he smiled back.

"It's been a fun ride." Tink replied and her fairy friends all nodded with agreement.

"We will always remember you, Max. As long as you don't forget about us." Sariatu mentioned.

"I'll try not to." Max moaned before Krampus placed his hands on his shoulders, ready to send him away.

"I'm gonna miss you, little buddy." said Maui, smiling along with Mini Maui who winked at him. He lifted up his necklace to reveal a new tattoo on his left pec to reveal miniature versions of the many people and the boy that he has come to know. Max grinned widely at this with graduate.

"See you soon." Everyone chorused together before everything started to get all fuzzy in Max's vision as he felt himself growing drowsy and weak. But the last thing he saw before he lost copiousness was everyone waving goodbye to him before everything went black.

* * *

 **And there's the finishing chapter where Max has reached the end of his journey in finally finding his family and saying goodbye to all of his spirit friends. But don't worry, there will be a few more after this. There's some things I want to clear up. Héctor won't be getting back with Imelda in this story, even though their married. I'm sorry for all you Coco fans out there, but I think Héctor is better off with someone else. Someone nicer. Anyway, I'm glad to finally reach the end point of this story. So see you all in the next chapter.**


	22. The Final Chapter

Everything was returning all at once and Max screamed in terror as he jumped awake from unconsciousness and fell off something and onto a floor. It took merely a second for Max to regain his bearings and realize that he was back in his room and he had fallen out of his bed. There morning sun poured in through the windows and Max finally got to his feet to see all his toys, his posters, his computer desk, even the vintage wooden Christmas calendar he keeps on the wall. Maneuvering over to the window, Max peered through the frost-tinted glass outside to see the snow-covered ground was at a lower height, the road was plowed, the Christmas lights were working again and there were no disturbing snowmen on their front lawn, gazing sinisterly toward the house.

Max checked his holiday calendar to see that the every window on it had been opened expect for the one on the very top. Shuffling over, Max opened the final window to see the number "25", meaning that it was December 15 again; Christmas Day. Max figured that everything must've been a huge dream. Krampus terrorizing his neighborhood and taking his family, meeting Jack Frost, Santa Claus and finding spirits, traveling all over the world, traveling through time and entering the Underworld. He must've dreamed all of that. There was no scary goat demon with a screaming human mask or Boogeyman or even fairies. It was all just in his head.

At this, Max breathed a sigh of relief and headed downstairs into the family room to see all of his family seated around the fireplace, having a wonderful time of their lives, adorned in pajamas and sleepwear. Max let his mind ponder all of this. Howie was sitting on the floor by the presents under the tree, which wasn't torched, Uncle Howard was wearing a Santa hat, meaning it was probably his turn to play Santa this year, his parents were sitting on one couch and Omi was holding a tray of cups of cocoa. The damage of the house and the mess was gone and repaired. Everything was completely normal as if nothing bad happened. Beth, in her pink pajamas and texting on her phone as usual, walked past Max to give him an annoyed and impatient stare.

"It's about time you got up. We've been waiting forever." She grunted, going to find a place to sit.

"Oh! Hey, there he is." Howard said, noticing Max with a teasing smile. "Hey, kiddo. We thought maybe the sugarplum fairies may have gotten you."

"You're all alive." Max acknowledged.

"Barely." grunted Aunt Dorothy in her usual disgruntled manner, sitting down with a cup of eggnog and pouring some brandy into it. "I haven't been this hungover since the Pope died."

"What's up, buddy? You okay?" Tom asked his son.

"Yeah, I just..." stammered Max, trying to come up with an answer while placing himself between his mother and father. "...had a bad dream, I guess."

Sarah smiled warmly as she and Tom both put their arms on his shoulders in a tenderly embrace before Stevie decided to playfully spoil the moment.

"Enough of this sappy crap. Let's open some damn presents." She grinned.

"Okay, okay, already." Linda cried.

"Come on, Linda. You wanna help me with this?" asked Sarah while getting up to help her sister out with handing out the presents. Tom took a cup of cocoa off the tray Omi was holding and started to swig it down. Max's grandmother offered him some as she smiled gravely at him.

"Merry Christmas, Max." She said in her Austrian accent as it came out perfectly as it did.

Downing a portion of his cocoa, Max basked in the glow of his family while they opened presents together, giving out compliments and thank-you's, it was all perfectly normal as could be. Max never wished for a better moment than this. There were a number of things everyone got. Howard got a box of silver bullets, Linda a CD of her favorite songs, Jordan received brass knuckles, bringing an amused smile to her face.

"Hey, Maxie-pad!" Jordan chirped, making a punching gesture while Max held an equally-amused smile to his lips.

Sarah jumped in her spot on the couch upon opening her gift from Howard and his family, which was the taxidermy figure of some kind of large rodent animal on a branch. While Howard and Linda explained how much it took to put it together, Max hugged his mother happily.

"What's this all about?" She asked with a laugh.

"Nothing it's just...Merry Christmas." Max said and hugged his father.

"Merry Christmas to you too." His mother said to him back.

"Merry Christmas, son." Tom replied, hugging his son.

Omi handed Max a present, which was a tiny box. He wondered what it could be, but once he opened it up, the joyous glee in his eyes vanished, morphing into a confused frown. He held his breath and his face went pale, drained of color as gently lifted up the object that was inside the box. In his hands was the brass bauble with the words " _Gruß_ _vom Krampus_ " on it. Soon, everyone else stared at the bauble clutched in Max's finger and in seconds, they all hushed their chattering and the entire room fell into a stiff silence. Soon, everything that had happened in that past finally returned to them all. The events involving Krampus boggled their minds like a horrific nightmare.

Then Max finally remembered a few people that he had met. The same magical people that helped him on his rescue party to save his family from the Underworld. It wasn't a dream at all. It wasn't all in his head. It wasn't even his imagination. It was real. It was all real. Krampus exists, Jack Frost exists, the Easter Bunny exists, hell, even Santa Claus exists. It was a memory. It really happened. But they all shrugged this off and decided it was nothing at all to be wary of. Although, they still knew what had occurred from those days and finally learned a good lesson from all of it. They continued the gift-unwrapping session until Max spotted someone familiar peeking in through the window.

Jack Frost, Bunny, Mavis, Sariatu, Maui, Héctor and Bloom were all standing outside, looking in through the window and watching Max and his family celebrate Christmas together. Max was surprised at first to see them all here at his house and looked around to see that none of his relatives seemed aware of the group's presence.

"Excuse for a minute." Max said as he got up and grabbed his coat and boats before heading outside into the snow to reunite with his friends. "You're all here."

"Yeah, we just wanted to drop by and check up on our little buddy." Jack said with a smile.

"Krampus reversed the events back to before today, rearranging everything that had happened prior to this day." explained Bunny. "Although, many of us will still remember the journey we went on with the young ankle-biter to rescue his captive family from the Underworld. That might actually make an interesting story one day."

"You're here, too, Héctor?" asked Max, raising an eyebrow.

"La Muerte has something in mind for me, but I asked her to send me here first to see how you were doing." Héctor said, grinning with his arm around Bloom's shoulders. "By the way, me and Bloom talked our relationship over with Imelda back in the Land of the Dead. Needless to say, she wasn't very happy about this, but after some..."convincing"..."

He gave a playfully-scolding look to Bloom, who merely shrugged with a smile painted on her lips.

"...we decided that it's best that we saw different people. We've already hurt each other so much in the past. Plus, she's apparently regretful that she lived so many years in her life and afterlife loathing me so much and trying to erase me from my _familia's_ memory. I'm sure she's over it by now."

"Didn't forget about your best man, right?" asked Maui, referring to himself.

"No, I didn't." answered Max.

"We're very glad to see you again, Max." Sariatu exclaimed, bending down to hold his cheek. "You're pretty much one of us now."

"You guys should really meet my family." Max told them all excitedly.

"Um, yeah, I'm not sure if that'll be a good idea." replied Jack with a shake of his head as well as Mavis in agreement. "But we'll meet them maybe someday when we're ready for them to see us."

"Yeah, I know." Max nodded before giving them all a big, loving smile. "Merry Christmas, you guys."

"Merry Christmas, Max." " _Felix Navidad._ " They all said as they all got together in a huge group hug, embracing the young boy as if he was their own. After they separated, Jack handed him a box gift.

"Oh, also, Father Time wanted to give you something, too." He responded.

Despite his surprise, Max took the box and opened it up to pulled out a golden pocket watch. He flicked it open to see the hands moving as it ticked away. There were Father Time's initials along with the saying "All of the time in the world". Max was touched by this and gave them a grateful grin.

"We should go now." Jack said, taking Mavis's hand as he and the others all walked away from the house and towards the street.

"Bye, guys!" Max waved at them frantically.

"Bye!" They all said back as they all took their leave in different fashions. Mavis turned into a bat and flew away while Jack summoned the wind the pick him up and send him back home, Maui turned into a giant hawk and took off out of sight, Bunny grabbed Sariatu and they both disappeared down one of his tunnels and Bloom and Héctor vanished in a shower of blossom petals. Max then went back into the house to continue Christmas with his family.

"Who were you talking to out there?" asked Sarah.

"Oh, just some friends of mine." Max replied.

"Oh." Tom nodded his head.

While everyone else opened their gifts and spoke about random things, Max eyed his newly-received watch and observed the hands moving as time moved on with a small smile as a reminder of his journey and his greatest friends. Omi, meanwhile, had already seen who was out there with Max and she let smile reach her aged lips when she saw her old friend, Jack, from when she was a little girl.

* * *

Back in the Land of the Dead, La Muerte had brought Héctor, Bloom and the others to her castle to pay her end of the promise. For the calaca man, it felt like an eternity to finally see his daughter again and hoped that it was all worth it.

"Héctor, take my hand." softly commanded the queen of the Land of the Remembered and the goddess of death as she held out a gentle, sugary hand out towards him. Bloom had to give him an encouraging shove forward and, while hesitant, he grabbed hold of La Muerte's hand. The sugar deity closed her eyes and spoke something under her breath in a harsh whisper.

After that, they let go of each other's hands and Héctor felt strange all of the sudden. Simultaneously, La Muerte, Xibalba and the Candlemaker all joined hands together and spoke in unison.

"Héctor Rivera, in accordance with the ancient rules, we give you life."

The group backed away a step as Héctor looked at his hand to see his muscle skin tissue was growing back into place little by little. It was a little gruesome to see his skin, guts and other unspeakable parts spread over those bones, but after a minute, it was all over. Héctor was no longer a walking skeleton, but he now looked like he did when he was alive. Olive skin and black hair and still wearing the same clothes he was before. Bloom smiled with a blush on her delicate cheeks, seeing how handsome he is.

"Congratulations, _mi alma joven_." La Muerte exclaimed. "Consider yourself a spirit of the Day of the Dead."

"Nice job, pal." Maui gave him a good, but hard, pat on the back.

"You look even better now." Jack said to him.

"I'll say." Bloom agreed with a flirty tone.

"Come. Your daughter is expecting you." La Muerte announced as she grabbed Héctor once more and before he knew it, they both vanished in a flurry of marigolds. Héctor took a moment to check his surroundings to see that they were now inside of a room where an elderly woman sat in a wheelchair; white hair in braids and her withered, tired body aching forward. It was Héctor's beloved daughter, Coco, having aged so much since the last time he's seen her.

"Play something for her." La Muerte suggested, handing him his guitar.

He reluctantly took it and decided to sing the same song he sang to her before he left with Ernesto.

 _ **Héctor: Remember me**_  
 _ **Though I have to say goodbye**_  
 _ **Remember me**_  
 _ **Don't let it make you cry**_  
 _ **For even if I'm far away I hold you in my heart**_  
 _ **I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart**_  
 _ **Remember me**_  
 _ **Though I have to travel far**_

 _ **Remember me**_  
 _ **Each time you hear a sad guitar**_  
 _ **Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be**_  
 _ **Until you're in my arms again**_  
 _ **Remember me**_

Upon hearing the familiar melody falling upon her old ears, gently, ever so gently, the aged Coco lifted her head up, seemingly facing Héctor, a smile slowly making it's presence known on her lips. Even though he was still as young as he was when he left, Coco finally saw her father for the first time in a very long time. She thought she would never see him ever again.

" _Papá._ " She spoke with a tear in her eye.

"You can see me?" asked Héctor.

" _Sí._ " She nodded. "I know why you haven't returned home like you promised."

"Ernesto poisoned me when I wanted to come home and abandon our dream of being famous musicians." Héctor explained.

"That Ernesto. I knew there was something terrible about that man." Coco exclaimed, feeling spiteful just thinking about that man.

"I never got to see you grow up before, but now I have." Héctor expressed with glee before his smile fell. "But as much as I want to, I cannot stay here. I have to remain in the spirit world."

"Then this time, take me with you." Coco begged.

Héctor's eyes widened at this request. Despite his desire to bring her along, he just didn't know how to. He couldn't just kill her now. That would be insane. He looked at La Muerte and she grinned and gestured for him to proceed. With an understood nod, Héctor stepped forward and held his hand out to her. Coco carefully held out a shaking hand out to grab onto his and just like that, she felt the energy that has long left her body due to age start to return to her bones rapidly and she found the strength to lift herself out of the wheelchair and when doing so, her winkles and livers spots melted away and her hair regained it's raven black color. She was aging backwards and didn't stop until she was a young child once again.

" _Papá._ " Her little girl voice chirped out of her like old times and she jumped into her daddy's arms, so glad to have him back after so long. Héctor hugged her tightly, never letting go.

La Muerte smiled at the sight before she rested a hand on Héctor's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go now." She said to which he nodded in response and they all disappeared in a cloud of marigold petals, leaving only the lifeless body of Coco's elderly body with a smile on her face.

* * *

It's been years since their journey with Max to save his family from the clutches of Krampus deep into the depths of the Underworld. But after said events, things turned out pretty well for everyone. Jack and Mavis started a relationship together since they've had secret feelings for each other for a long time. After returning to the hotel, Mavis had to explain everything to her father about leaving the hotel and wanting to see the world for the first time in her life. He wasn't too happy at first, but had to come to the acceptance that he couldn't always protect her and that she needed to make her own decisions. The Man in the Moon soon chose her to become the spirit of Halloween and the Guardian of Adventure.

Héctor had brought Coco to the Land of the Remembered to reunite with her mother and deceased relatives. Imelda wanted her daughter to be with her, but Coco instead chose to be with her father instead. Gobsmacked, Imelda kept stressing the fact that he left her to raise Coco all by herself and chose fame over family. But Coco argued against this, knowing that she's only feeding into her own rage and hatred, and stuck with her decision. Imelda gave up and decided that it was pointless to convince her otherwise and respected her daughter's decision. Coco left with Héctor and Bloom to Mother Nature's biome where they made the latter their own nature spirit. She and Héctor had become mates for life and Héctor finally found his place with Coco where people acknowledged him.

Sariatu and Bunny had become soulmates as well as time went by. Picking up her father from Father Time's fortress in his dimension, she brought him back to her village where it took some explaining that he was a better person now. In addition, she gave him her cavern home in the mountain near the village while she left to live with Bunny in his warren. They painted eggs together, hid them for the children to find and finally, she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy, which she named "Kubo". The child shared his mother's humanly appearance while also having his father's Pooka characteristics and his abilities mixed with his mother's.

Maui was still...well, Maui. The demigod of the wind and the sea, hero of men and women and...you know the rest. Mother Nature, of course, was finally over his past errors and had forgiven him and allowed him to visit her and the biome. In all honesty, they still tell the story about the firstborn child of Mother Nature, Te Fiti who created islands around Polynesia and the trickster demigod who stole the heart from her, which ultimately cursed all life around her and the islands that she created, summoning terrifying monsters from below the ocean water who wanted to steal the heart for themselves, including the lava demon known as Te Kā. That story still spited Mother Nature, but it wasn't the end of the world.

As for Max, he still remembered his friends as he drew pictures of them and pretended they were just characters he made up, knowing they'd never believe him if he told them the whole story. Beth was a more respecting sister and spent less time on her phone and her laptop. His parents were better people as well. Stevie and Jordan learned their lesson about how rude they were in the past and had changed for the better. Although Aunt Dorothy was still a drunkard who lived in a trailer park, she and Sarah learned to live with each other and understand that not everything revolves around them. Around every Christmas time, despite the fact that they couldn't forget the whole fiasco with Krampus long ago, they respected the holiday traditions and the Christmas Demon never came for them had passed away after Max graduated from high school. He had written a fantasy novel about his adventure into Krampus's lair when he was a child titled "Krampus" and it became a best-seller, making him a famous writer. He and Rain had kept in touch since middle school and they finally met up again when they were in college.

They started dating, going around for some time before Max asked her to marry her and she instantly accepted. The wedding was lovely and the reception as well. Jack and the group attended the wedding as well, just like when they visited him many times in the past. Rain became pregnant with twins. Upon seeing his children' faces, Max smiled, knowing what a life he had lived in the past. From that unimpressive Christmas to Krampus taking his family, him gathering spirits to help him save them and learning some life lessons along the way. He had a family. And the best one yet.

* * *

 **And there you go, folks. The ending of Krampus (Remake). But I have two more chapters left in mind. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as I did. I think it was my best work yet.**


	23. End Credits

**DISCLAIMER: I don't, in any way, own Krampus, Rise of the Guardians, The Book of Life, Coco, Moana, Little Door Gods/The Guardian Brothers, Hotel Transylvania, Kubo and the Two Strings, Pompeii or Beowulf.**

* * *

 **CAST:**

 **EMJAY ANTHONY  
** **Max Engel**

 **CHRIS PINE  
** **Jack Frost**

 **DWAYNE JOHNSON  
** **Maui**

 **SELENA GOMEZ  
** **Mavis Dracula**

 **CHARLIZE THERON  
** **Sariatu**

 **CRISTINA PUCCI  
** **Bloom**

 **GAEL GARCÍA BERNAL  
** **Héctor Rivera**

 **RACHEL McADAMS  
** **Mother Nature**

 **JUDE LAW  
** **Pitch Black**

 **with BEN KINGSLEY  
** **Father Time**

 **and ÓLAFUR DARRI ÓLAFSSON  
** **Krampus**

 **Alec Baldwin as Nicholas St. North/Santa Claus  
** **Isla Fisher as Toothiana "Tooth"/The Tooth Fairy  
** **Kate del Castillo as La Muerte  
** **Ron Perlman as Xibalba  
** **Ice Cube as the Candlemaker  
** **Shannyn Sossamon as Te Fiti  
** **Scout Taylor-Compton as La Calavera Catrina  
** **Ralph Fiennes as Raiden the Moon King  
** **Rooney Mara as Karasu and Washi  
** **Nicole Kidman as Luli Shao  
** **Bella Thorne as Raindrop Shao  
** **Adam Sandler as Count Dracula  
** **Mae Whitman as Tinker Bell  
** **Lucy Hale as Periwinkle  
** **Pamela Adlon as Vidia  
** **Kristen Chenoweth as Rosetta  
** **Ginnifer Goodwin as Fawn  
** **Raven-Symone as Iridessa  
** **Lucy Liu as Silvermist  
** **Adam Scott as Tom Engel  
** **Toni Collette as Sarah Engel  
** **David Koechner as Howard  
** **Allison Tolman as Linda  
** **Conchata Ferrell as Aunt Dorothy  
** **Krista Stadler as Omi Engel  
** **Lolo Owen as Stevie  
** **Queen Samuel as Jordan  
** **Maverick Flack as Howie Jr.  
** **Sage Hunefeld as Chrissie  
** **Ana Ofelia Murguía as Mamá Socorro "Coco" Rivera ( _Libertad García Fonzi as young Coco_ )  
** **Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa  
** **Taika Waititi as Sola  
** **Anna Hutchinson as Ignis  
** **Tofiga Fepulea'i as Aer  
** **Lena Waithe, Danai Gurira and Florence Kasumba as Fluncta, Aestus and Aqua  
** **John Tui and Lani Tupu as Tonitrui and Fulgur  
** **Isaac Feau'nati as Grandinem  
** **Eteuati Ete as Motus  
** **Antonio To Maioha as Procellus  
** **Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Volgu  
** **Karin Konoval as Nuba  
** **Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Gregorio  
** **Faran Tahir as Julian  
** **Robbie Coltrane as Wuzazog  
** **Kathy Burke as Ukig  
** **Aly Michalka as Szunut  
** **Doug Jones as the Giant  
Oscar Isaac as older Max**

 **NAPOLEONIC WARS | Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy | 1796** **_(The Battle of Castiglione)  
_** **François-Xavier Demaison as Napoleon Bonaparte**  
 **Marion Cotillard as Colette Bourguignon**

 **THE MIDDLE AGES | The Scottish Highlands | 1300** **_(1300 English invasion of Scotland)_**  
 **Kevin Bridges as Robert de Brus**  
 **Iain De Caestacker as Sir William Wallace**  
 **Catherine Bell as Elizabeth de Burgh**  
 **Colin McCredie as King Edward I of England**

 **MYCENAEAN GREECE | Mycenae | 1299 B.C.** **_(The Trojan War)_**  
 **Rhys Ifans as Agamemnon**  
 **Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Clytemnestra**  
 **Brian Steele as the Minotaur**  
 **Vinnie Jones as Ajax**  
 **Christian Bale as Achilles**

 **POMPEII | 79 A.D.** **_(The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius of 79)_**  
 **Kit Harrington as Milo**  
 **Emily Browning as Cassia**  
 **Kiefer Sutherland as Senator Quintas Attius Corvus**  
 **Jared Harris as Severus**

 **COLONIAL AMERICA | New England | 1621** **_(The first Thanksgiving)_**  
 **Sarah Bolger as Sarah Wilkins**  
 **Ralph Ineson as Myles Standish**  
 **Paul Sparks as Governor William Bradford**  
 **Eugene Brave Rock as Chief Massasoit**

 **THE RMS TITANIC | The Atlantic Ocean | April 14, 1912** **_(The sinking of the RMS Titanic)_**  
 **Héctor Elizondo as Captain Edward J. Smith**

 **TENOCHTITLAN, MEXICO | Aztec Empire | 1519** **_(The Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire)_**  
 **Eduardo Verástegui as Moctezuma II**  
 **Pas Vega as Chel**  
 **Raúl Esparza as Hernán Cortéz**  
 **Stephanie Sigman as Doña Marina/La Malinche**

 **THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR | The Underground Railroad | 1700s**  
 **Thandie Newton as Harriet Tubman**  
 **Taraji P. Henson as Sojourner Truth**  
 **David Kaluuya as John Brown**  
 **John Boyega as James**  
 **Jerrod Carmichael as Henry**

 **THE EARLY CRETACEOUS PERIOD | Pangaea | 100,000,000 B.C.**  
 **Javier Botet as Ek**  
 **Joseph Bishara as Urgg**  
 **  
ANCIENT EGYPT | 50 B.C.** **_(The reign of Cleopatra)_**  
 **Camille Belle as Cleopatra**

 **WORLD WAR I | No Man's Land | 1916** **_(Western Front/The Battle of the Somme)_**  
 **Eddie Marsan as Commander Douglas Haig**  
 **Mackenzie Crook as Private Josiah Greer**  
 **William Forsythe as Sgt. Aarav Dorsey**  
 **Josh Brolin as Private Roderick Grant**  
 **Brian Cox as Erich Ludendorff**

 **THE AMERICAN FRONTIER | California Gold Rush | 1849**  
 **Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Joaquin Murrieta**  
 **Zach Galifianakis as John "Grizzly" Adams**  
 **Ben Affleck as William Tecumseh Sherman**  
 **Natar Ungalaaq as Geronimo**

 **THE GREAT DEPRESSION | Hollywood, California | 1933** **_(The film production of King Kong)_**  
 **Jason Bateman as Merian C. Cooper**  
 **Charlie Sheen as Ernest B. Schoedsack  
** **Laura Haddock as Fay Wray**  
 **Ray Winstone as Robert Armstrong**

 **BABYLON, MESOPOTAMIA | Neo-Babylonian Empire | 554 B.C.**  
 **Omi Vaidya as Nebuchadnezzar II**

 **VIKING ERA | Scandinavia | 991 A.D.** **_(The Battle of Maldon/The epic poem of Beowulf)_**  
 **Michael Fassbender as Leif Eriksson**  
 **Aidan Turner as Olaf Tryggvason**  
 **Gerard Butler as Beowulf**  
 **Stellan Skarsgård as King Hrothgar**  
 **Steinen Ólína** **Þorsteinsdóttir as Queen Wealhtheow**  
 **Hjálmar Hjálmarson as Unferth**  
 **Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson as Grendel**  
 **Elva Ósk Ólafsdóttir as Grendel's mother**  
 **Tony Curran as Wiglaf**

 **ICE AGE | The Upper Paleolithic Age | 1,000 B.C.**  
 **Michael Greyeyes as Chief Z'serk**  
 **Kaniehtiio Horn as Xe**  
 **Tantoo Cardinal as O'tilo  
** **Shia Labeouf as Notnot**

 **THE END OF TIME | 117,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000** **_(The extinction of the space-time continuum)_**  
 **"They"**


	24. The Post-Credits Scene

Deep in the bowels of the realm of Lalotai below the ocean's surface, Tamatoa was still stuck laying flat on his back outside of his cave after being outsmarted by Max and his friends. He's been like this for at least a few hours now.

" _~Shiny, I'm so shiny~_ " He sang lamely to himself before speaking to no one in particular. "Didn't help me, though, did it? Still upside down here. Just need a little push."

He struggled to lift himself up off the ground and back to his feet, but due to his thick body build, it was much too difficult for him to do so on his own and he eventually gave up as it was all a waste of time and energy. He leaned his head back, letting out a tired sigh.

"Can we be real? If my name was "Sebastian" and I had a cool Jamaican accent, you'd totally help me." He remarked, pointing at the viewers with an angered face, before he crossed his arms with a snooty expression. "You would. You know you would."

* * *

 **I just really wanted to add that. It just seemed too funny not to add. Anyway, that's the end of the story, guys. I hope you all enjoyed it. See ya!**


End file.
